Autobiography

Definition of autobiography, difference between autobiography and memoir, six types of autobiography, importance of autobiography, examples of autobiography in literature, example #1:  the box: tales from the darkroom by gunter grass, example #2:  the story of my life by helen keller, example #3:  self portraits: fictions by frederic tuten, example #4:  my prizes by thomas bernhard, example #5:  the autobiography of benjamin franklin by benjamin franklin, synonyms of autobiography, related posts:, post navigation.

  • Literary Terms
  • Autobiography
  • Definition & Examples
  • When & How to Write Autobiography

I. What is Autobiography?

An autobiography is a self-written life story.

autobiography

It is different from a  biography , which is the life story of a person written by someone else. Some people may have their life story written by another person because they don’t believe they can write well, but they are still considered an author because they are providing the information. Reading autobiographies may be more interesting than biographies because you are reading the thoughts of the person instead of someone else’s interpretation.

II. Examples of Autobiography

One of the United States’ forefathers wrote prolifically (that means a lot!) about news, life, and common sense. His readings, quotes, and advice are still used today, and his face is on the $100 bill. Benjamin Franklin’s good advice is still used through his sayings, such as “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” He’s also the one who penned the saying that’s seen all over many schools: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” His autobiography is full of his adventures , philosophy about life, and his wisdom. His autobiography shows us how much he valued education through his anecdotes (stories) of his constant attempts to learn and improve himself. He also covers his many ideas on his inventions and his thoughts as he worked with others in helping the United States become free from England.

III. Types of Autobiography

There are many types of autobiographies. Authors must decide what purpose they have for writing about their lives, and then they can choose the format that would best tell their story. Most of these types all share common goals: helping themselves face an issue by writing it down, helping others overcome similar events, or simply telling their story.

a. Full autobiography (traditional):

This would be the complete life story, starting from birth through childhood, young adulthood, and up to the present time at which the book is being written. Authors might choose this if their whole lives were very different from others and could be considered interesting.

There are many types of memoirs – place, time, philosophic (their theory on life), occupational, etc. A memoir is a snapshot of a person’s life. It focuses on one specific part that stands out as a learning experience or worth sharing.

c. Psychological illness

People who have suffered mental illness of any kind find it therapeutic to write down their thoughts. Therapists are specialists who listen to people’s problems and help them feel better, but many people find writing down their story is also helpful.

d. Confession

Just as people share a psychological illness, people who have done something very wrong may find it helps to write down and share their story. Sharing the story may make one feel he or she is making amends (making things right), or perhaps hopes that others will learn and avoid the same mistake.

e. Spiritual

Spiritual and religious experiences are very personal . However, many people feel that it’s their duty and honor to share these stories. They may hope to pull others into their beliefs or simply improve others’ lives.

f. Overcoming adversity

Unfortunately, many people do not have happy, shining lives. Terrible events such as robberies, assaults, kidnappings, murders, horrific accidents, and life-threatening illnesses are common in some lives. Sharing the story can inspire others while also helping the person express deep emotions to heal.

IV. The Importance of Autobiography

Autobiographies are an important part of history. Being able to read the person’s own ideas and life stories is getting the first-person story versus the third-person (he-said/she-said) version. In journalism, reporters go to the source to get an accurate account of an event. The same is true when it comes to life stories. Reading the story from a second or third source will not be as reliable. The writer may be incorrectly explaining and describing the person’s life events.

Autobiographies are also important because they allow other people in similar circumstances realize that they are not alone. They can be inspiring for those who are facing problems in their lives. For the author, writing the autobiography allows them to heal as they express their feelings and opinions. Autobiographies are also an important part of history.

V. Examples of Autobiography in Literature

A popular autobiography that has lasted almost 100 years is that of Helen Keller. Her life story has been made into numerous movies and plays. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, has also had her life story written and televised multiple times. Students today still read and learn about this young girl who went blind and deaf at 19 months of age, causing her to also lose her ability to learn to speak. Sullivan’s entrance into Helen’s life when the girl was seven was the turning point. She learned braille and soon became an activist for helping blind and deaf people across the nation. She died in 1968, but her autobiography is still helping others.

Even in the days before my teacher came, I used to feel along the square stiff boxwood hedges, and, guided by the sense of smell, would find the first violets and lilies. There, too, after a fit of temper, I went to find comfort and to hide my hot face in the cool leaves and grass. What joy it was to lose myself in that garden of flowers, to wander happily from spot to spot, until, coming suddenly upon a beautiful vine, I recognized it by its leaves and blossoms, and knew it was the vine which covered the tumble-down summer-house at the farther end of the garden! (Keller).

An autobiography that many middle and high school students read every year is “Night” by Elie Wiesel. His story is also a memoir, covering his teen years as he and his family went from the comfort of their own home to being forced into a Jewish ghetto with other families, before ending up in a Nazi prison camp. His book is not that long, but the details and description he uses brings to life the horrors of Hitler’s reign of terror in Germany during World War II. Students also read “The Diary of Anne Frank,” another type of autobiography that shows a young Jewish girl’s daily life while hiding from the Nazis to her eventual capture and death in a German camp. Both books are meant to remind us to not be indifferent to the world’s suffering and to not allow hate to take over.

“The people were saying, “The Red Army is advancing with giant strides…Hitler will not be able to harm us, even if he wants to…” Yes, we even doubted his resolve to exterminate us. Annihilate an entire people? Wipe out a population dispersed throughout so many nations? So many millions of people! By what means? In the middle of the twentieth century! And thus my elders concerned themselves with all manner of things—strategy, diplomacy, politics, and Zionism—but not with their own fate. Even Moishe the Beadle had fallen silent. He was weary of talking. He would drift through synagogue or through the streets, hunched over, eyes cast down, avoiding people’s gaze. In those days it was still possible to buy emigration certificates to Palestine. I had asked my father to sell everything, to liquidate everything, and to leave” (Wiesel 8).  

VI. Examples of Autobiography in Pop Culture

One example of an autobiography that was a hit in the movie theaters is “American Sniper,” the story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. According to an article in the Dallas, Texas, magazine D, Kyle donated all the proceeds from the film to veterans and their families. He had a story to tell, and he used it to help others. His story is a memoir, focusing on a specific time period of his life when he was overseas in the military.

An autobiography by a young Olympian is “Grace, Gold and Glory: My Leap of Faith” by Gabrielle (Gabby) Douglas. She had a writer, Michelle Burford, help her in writing her autobiography. This is common for those who have a story to tell but may not have the words to express it well. Gabby was the darling of the 2012 Olympics, winning gold medals for the U.S. in gymnastics along with being the All-Around Gold Medal winner, the first African-American to do so. Many young athletes see her as an inspiration. Her story also became a television movie, “The Gabby Douglas Story.”

VII. Related Terms

The life story of one person written by another. The purpose may to be highlight an event or person in a way to help the public learn a lesson, feel inspired, or to realize that they are not alone in their circumstance. Biographies are also a way to share history. Historic and famous people may have their biographies written by many authors who research their lives years after they have died.

VIII. Conclusion

Autobiographies are a way for people to share stories that may educate, inform, persuade, or inspire others. Many people find writing their stories to be therapeutic, healing them beyond what any counseling might do or as a part of the counseling. Autobiographies are also a way to keep history alive by allowing people in the present learn about those who lived in the past. In the future, people can learn a lot about our present culture by reading autobiographies by people of today.

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autobiography

What is autobiography definition, usage, and literary examples, autobiography definition, the history of autobiography, types of autobiographies, the function of autobiography.

Writers Known for Autobiography & Autobiography Books

Examples of Autobiographies

How to write an autobiography, further resources on autobiography, related terms.

An  autobiography  (awe-tow-bye-AWE-gruh-fee) is a self-written  biography . The author writes about all or a portion of their own life to share their experience, frame it in a larger cultural or historical context, and/or inform and entertain the reader.

Autobiographies have been a popular literary genre for centuries. The first Western autobiography is attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo for his 13-book work titled  Confessions , written between 397 and 400 CE. Some autobiographies are a straightforward narrative that recollects a linear chain of events as they unfolded. The genre has expanded and evolved to include different approaches to the form.

The word  autobiography  comes from the Ancient Greek  auto  (“self”) +  bios  (“life”) +  graphein  (“to write”) = “a self-written life.” It is also known as autography .

Scholars regard Augustine’s  Confessions  as the first Western autobiography. Other autobiographical works from antiquity include Jewish historian Flavius Josephus’s  Vita  (circa 99 CE) and Greek scholar Libanius’s  Oration I  (374 CE). Works of this kind were called apologias, which essentially means “in my defense.” Writers approached these works not as acts of self-documentation but as self-defense. They represented a way to explain and provide rationale for their life, work, and escapades. There was also less focus on their emotional lives.

The Book of Margery Kempe , written in 1438 by an English Christian mystic, is the earliest known autobiography in English. (Though it didn’t see full publication until the 20th century.) Other early English-language biographies of note include:

  • Lord Herbert of Cherbury’s 1764 memoirs
  • John Bunyan’s  Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners  in 1666
  • Jarena Lee’s  The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee  (the first autobiography of an African American woman)

Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s  Confessions was published in 1782. It paved the way for the more thoughtful, emotionally centered autobiographies seen today. Autobiography as a literary genre emerged a few years later, when British scholar William Taylor first used the term to describe a self-written biography. He did so disparagingly, suggesting the form was  pedantic . In 1809, English Romantic poet Robert Southey used the term more seriously to describe self-written biographies.

Starting in the 20th century, more young people started writing autobiographies. Perhaps the most famous example is Anne Frank’s  The Diary of a Young Girl , about her time hiding from the Nazis in an Amsterdam attic. The 21st century saw an increase in autobiographical essay collections and memoirs by younger celebrities, including:

  • Anna Kendrick
  • Mindy Kaling
  • Gabourey Sidibe
  • Mike Birbiglia
  • Lena Dunham
  • Chelsea Handler

Autobiographies are not immune to controversy. One notable scandal involved author James Frey’s  A Million Little Pieces . Originally billed as a memoir, evidence later emerged that Frey invented key parts of the story. This example underscores how easily authors can cross over into autofiction—fictional autobiography—and how seriously readers take authors’ responsibility to accurately and honestly market their books.

There are a few different types of self-written works that qualify as autobiography.

Standard Autobiographies

In the most traditional form, authors recount their life or specific formative events from their life. This approach often utilizes a chronological format of events, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. An author’s approach might include a framing device such as flashbacks, in which they move from the present to the past as they remember their lives. For example, Broadway star Patti LuPone’s self-titled autobiography begins on the opening night of  Gypsy  in 2004 before moving back in time to LuPone’s childhood. An author could take a more stream-of-consciousness style, in which one memory links to another by a common theme. Irish writer Seán O’Casey narrates his six-volume  Autobiographies  in this manner

This is a type of autobiography that is narrower in scope and focus. It places greater emphasis on particular memories, thoughts, and feelings. A standard autobiography can certainly cover some of this same ground—most do—but the memoir is more interested in individual events or defined portions of the author’s life and the emotions and lessons behind them.

Henry David Thoreau is a notable memoirist. In Walden , he reflects on his time spent living in solitude in the woods of Massachusetts and what he learned about life and nature throughout this experience. Another example is  The Year of Magical Thinking  by Joan Didion, which relates the death of her husband and its impact on her life and work. Another is  Wild  by Cheryl Strayed, wherein Strayed remembers her time hiking the Pacific Crest Trail during a period of great change in her life.

Autofiction

The fictionalized autobiography, or autofiction, is another type of autobiography. The author presents their story not as fact but as fiction. This method gives them considerable space to take creative license with events and characters, thereby blurring the lines between reality and fiction. The overall goal is less about the author wanting to obscure facts and make things up and more a matter of taking another tactic to delve into their experiences in service of self-discovery.  Taipei  by Tao Lin is a work of autofiction. The central character, Paul, mirrors Lin’s own life and experiences, from the literary world of New York City to his ancestral roots in Taiwan.

Spiritual Autobiographies

These autobiographies center on the author’s religious or spiritual awakening and the subsequent journey their faith has taken them on. Common elements include struggles and doubt, a life-altering conversion, periods of regression, and sharing the “message.” These all act as endorsements of the author’s faith. Augustine’s  Confessions , Paramahansa Yogananda’s  Autobiography of a Yogi , and Augusten Burroughs’s  Toil & Trouble: A Memoir  are all spiritual autobiographies.

Autobiography vs. Biography

Both autobiographies and  biographies  are records of real lives, but there is one major distinction. A person other than the book’s subject writes a biography, while the subject themselves writes an autobiography. In this way, an autobiography is essentially a biography of the self. The biographer’s job is typically more involved, entailing detailed research into the life of the subject. The autobiographer, however, is usually not burdened by this because they lived through the events they write about. They may need only to confirm dates and stories to accurately relate the pertinent details.

An autobiography allows the author to tell the true story of their own life. This is the reason why autobiographies have always been written by famous people. History tends to remember notable individuals for just one significant contribution or event and, even then, the public’s perception of it may be inaccurate. Writing an autobiography allows the author to share the real story and put it into the larger context of their life and times.

Most readers pick up an autobiography expecting some degree of subjectivity from the author. After all, the events chronicled happened to the author, so the writing will of course have a biased  perspective . There are advantages to this subjectivity, though. The reader gets the real story directly from the person who lived it, unvarnished by others’ opinions or erroneous historical data.

One way this subjectivity is problematic is that the author may not possess the ability to see the story they’re telling from other perspectives. For example, they may not acknowledge any hurt they caused others, dangerous behaviors they engaged in, or the “other side” of a controversial event in which there are equally valid opposing viewpoints and experiences. Any of these deficiencies can result in a somewhat skewed narrative.

Writers Known for Autobiography & Autobiography Books

  • Maya Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ,  Gather Together in My Name
  • Jung Chang,  Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
  • Isak Dinesen,  Out of Africa ,  Shadows on the Grass
  • Carrie Fisher,  Wishful Drinking ,  Shockaholic
  • Anne Frank,  The Diary of a Young Girl
  • Ernest Hemingway,  A Moveable Feast
  • Karl Ove Knausgård,  My Struggle
  • Frank McCourt,  Angela’s Ashes
  • Anaïs Nin,  The Diaries of Anaïs Nin
  • Marcel Proust,  Remembrance of Things Past
  • Patti Smith,  Just Kids ,  M Train
  • Mark Twain, The Autobiography of Mark Twain
  • Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
  • Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X
  • Agatha Christie, Agatha Christie: An Autobiography
  • Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
  • Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi: An Autobiography 

1. Maya Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Angelou’s autobiography is the first installment in a seven-volume series chronicling the life of the legendary poet, teacher, actress, director, dancer, and civil rights activist. Given all those roles, it’s easy to see why Angelou’s life story makes for interesting reading.

This volume centers primarily on her early life in Stamps, Arkansas, and the devastating effects of a childhood rape. It also explores racism in the American South. It discuses the important role reading plays in helping young Maya deal with the sexual assault and pervasive prejudice in her environment.

2. Helen Keller,  The Story of My Life

Keller’s autobiography details her first 20 years, starting with the childhood illness that caused her blindness and deafness. She discusses the obstacles she had to overcome and the life-changing relationship she shared with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who helped her learn to read and write. Keller also documents her friendships with several famous figures of her day, including Alexander Graham Bell, John Greenleaf Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and First Lady Frances Cleveland.

3. Vinh Chung,  Where the Wind Leads

Chung’s autobiography recalls the harrowing story of a Vietnamese refugee and his journey to make the American Dream his own. Born in South Vietnam, Chung comes of age in a changing political climate that eventually compels his family to flee the country. Their voyage takes them through the South China Sea, run-ins with pirates, resettlement in Arkansas, and Chung’s graduation from Harvard Medical School.

Autobiography is a truly universal art form and is accessible to anyone, whether you're in high school or 100 years old. Exploring the process of writing an autobiography deserves an article in itself, but the process should include these steps:

  • Determine your "why." What lessons do you want to impart via your story, and why are they worth sharing with a broader audience?
  • Draft an autobiographical outline. It should include information about your upbringing, impactful moments throughout your life, stories of failure and success, and meaningful mentors.
  • Begin with the easiest sections. Getting started is often the greatest hurdle, so begin by writing the chapters that feel most accessible or enjoyable.
  • Write your first draft. Once you write the first chapters, it will feel easier to write the rest. Capitalize on your momentum and write a full draft.
  • Step away. As with anything, stepping away from your work will help foster fresh perspectives when you return.
  • Edit and re-write your draft. Your first draft will probably benefit from thorough revisions, as will your second draft, and maybe your third. Continue to edit and revise until it feels right.
  • Ask for help. Bring in a trusted family member or friend or professional editor to help with final edits.

ThoughtCo. shares some  important points to consider before writing an autobiography .

The Living Handbook of Narratology delves into the  history of the autobiography .

MasterClass breaks autobiography writing down into  eight basic steps .

Pen & the Pad looks at the  advantages and disadvantages of the autobiography .

Lifehack has a list of  15 autobiographies everyone should read at least once .

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Autobiographical poetry is a genre where poets draw from their personal experiences and emotions to create works that reflect their life stories. This form often delves into themes like identity, trauma, and relationships, offering an intimate look at the poet's inner world. By blending personal narrative with poetic techniques, autobiographical poetry serves as both a form of self-expression and a means of connecting with readers on a deeper emotional level.

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5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  • Autobiographical poetry often features a first-person perspective, allowing readers to connect more personally with the poet's experiences.
  • This genre became more prominent in the 20th century as poets sought to express individual voices and personal truths, breaking away from traditional forms.
  • Themes of loss, love, family dynamics, and societal expectations are commonly explored within autobiographical poetry.
  • Many notable poets, like Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell, are recognized for their contributions to this genre through their confessional styles.
  • The impact of autobiographical poetry can resonate deeply with readers, creating empathy and understanding of shared human experiences.

Review Questions

  • Autobiographical poetry sets itself apart from traditional forms by focusing on the poet's personal experiences and emotions rather than abstract themes or universal ideas. It emphasizes a first-person narrative that allows for introspection and vulnerability. While traditional poetry may explore broader topics or general truths, autobiographical poetry creates an intimate connection between the poet and the reader through specific life events and personal reflections.
  • Confessional poetry is a key subset of autobiographical poetry that dives deeply into the poet's psyche, addressing topics such as trauma, mental health, and intimate relationships. This style enables poets to confront their past experiences candidly while encouraging readers to reflect on their own identities. By sharing raw emotions and personal struggles, confessional poets contribute significantly to the broader landscape of autobiographical poetry, making it a powerful vehicle for exploring complex aspects of selfhood.
  • Autobiographical poetry not only presents the poet's personal narrative but also often reflects larger social issues and cultural contexts. By articulating their individual experiences—whether related to race, gender, or class—poets can highlight injustices or challenges faced by specific communities. This dual role as both personal expression and social commentary allows autobiographical poetry to resonate with broader audiences while fostering empathy and awareness regarding various societal issues.

Related terms

Confessional Poetry : A style of poetry that emerged in the 1950s, characterized by its focus on personal subject matter, including themes of mental illness, trauma, and intimate relationships.

Lyric Poetry : A type of emotional, musical verse that expresses personal feelings and thoughts, often reflecting the poet's emotions in relation to experiences.

Narrative Poetry : Poetry that tells a story and includes elements like characters and plot, which can also incorporate autobiographical elements within its storytelling.

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Autobiographical Poetry

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autobiography poem definition

  • Mihye Bang 2  

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Victorian women poets wrote in diverse autobiographical modes. Victorian women’s autobiographical poetry was not confined to the “autobiography in verse” as defined by the male canon with explicitly autobiographical intentions, and an extended definition of it is necessary to illuminate their self-writing in verse. While prejudices about women self-exposure to public prevailed during the nineteenth century, women poets were not able to recount their private lives freely. Instead, they showed differing uses of self-reflexivity in their poems, including recollection of the poet’s past, appropriation of the poet’s biographical womanhood to create a lyric persona, and fictionalized self-reflection as the artist. Bourgeois women poets generally preferred to imply their biographical facts in their lyric poetry or mediate them through dramatization or fictionalization. Working-class women poets, in contrast, often explicitly revealed their nonnormative life experiences in an effort...

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Anderson, Linda. 2001. Autobiography . London: Routledge.

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———. 2006. Autobiography and the feminist subject. In The Cambridge companion to feminist literary theory , ed. Ellen Rooney, 119–135. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Pascal, Roy. 1960. Design and truth in autobiography . New York: Routledge.

Peterson, Linda H. 1999. ‘For my better self’: Auto/biographies of the poetess, the Prelude of the poet laureate, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Aurora Leigh . In Traditions of Victorian women’s autobiography: the poetics and politics of life writing , 109–145. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.

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Bang, M. (2021). Autobiographical Poetry. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Victorian Women's Writing. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02721-6_340-1

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COMMENTS

  1. Autobiography Definition and Examples - Poem Analysis

    In a biography, someone else writes the story of another persons life. Both forms of writing are incredibly important and common, but an autobiography, in theory, should provide a more intimate look into a person’s life.

  2. Examples and Definition of Autobiography - Literary Devices

    Autobiography is one type of biography, which tells the life story of its author, meaning it is a written record of the author’s life. Rather than being written by somebody else, an autobiography comes through the person’s own pen, in his own words.

  3. Autobiography | Definition, History, Types, Examples, & Facts ...

    autobiography, the biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Autobiographical works can take many forms, from the intimate writings made during life that were not necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, and reminiscences) to a formal book-length autobiography.

  4. Autobiography: Definition and Examples | LiteraryTerms.net

    An autobiography is a self-written life story. It is different from a biography, which is the life story of a person written by someone else. Some people may have their life story written by another person because they don’t believe they can write well, but they are still considered an author because they are providing the information.

  5. Autobiography in Literature: Definition & Examples - SuperSummary

    An autobiography (awe-tow-bye-AWE-gruh-fee) is a self-written biography. The author writes about all or a portion of their own life to share their experience, frame it in a larger cultural or historical context, and/or inform and entertain the reader.

  6. Autobiography: definition and examples | Britannica

    autobiography, Biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Little autobiographical literature exists from antiquity and the Middle Ages; with a handful of exceptions, the form begins to appear only in the 15th century.

  7. Autobiographical poetry - (Intro to Contemporary Literature ...

    Autobiographical poetry is a genre where poets draw from their personal experiences and emotions to create works that reflect their life stories. This form often delves into themes like identity, trauma, and relationships, offering an intimate look at the poet's inner world.

  8. Autobiographical Poetry - SpringerLink

    Autobiographical poetry broadly refers to a verse form of life writing that reflects the poet’s life experiences. It does not necessarily mean an “autobiography in verse” or a “poetic autobiography” that claims to narrate the author’s entire life in verse.

  9. Bio Poem | Definition, Template & Examples - Lesson - Study.com

    What is a Bio Poem? A bio poem, also called a biographical poem, is a writing exercise that serves to illustrate the most important points about a living person, a...

  10. Autobiography | Types, Characteristics & Examples - Study.com

    What is an autobiography? Learn the autobiography definition, its types, and characteristics. See autobiography examples and know its popularity among writers. Updated: 11/21/2023