Biography and autobiography are two types of writing that are frequently mistaken for one another due to their similar meanings. Both are biographies of a person’s life, but there is a distinction in authorship. The major distinction between autobiography and biography is that an autobiography is a person’s life story published by that person himself, whereas a biography is a person’s life story written by someone else.
In this article, you will know the difference between Biography and Autobiography
Biography:
A biography, sometimes known as a “bio,” is a thorough account of a person’s life written or produced by someone else. It contains detailed information on the person’s birthplace, educational history, employment, relationships, and death. It examines the subject’s entire personality and gives intimate facts about their life, concentrating on the highs and lows.
A biography is often written, but it may also take the shape of a musical composition or a literary to cinema adaptation.
Autobiography:
An autobiography is written by a person about his or her own life. The term auto comes from the Latin word for self.’ As a result, an autobiography comprises all of the features of biography but is written or narrated by the author. He/she may write alone or engage ghostwriters to write for them.
An autobiography describes the narrator’s character, his birth and upbringing, his education, career, life events, problems, and accomplishments. This might contain memories and anecdotes from infancy, adolescence, and adulthood.
Difference between Biography and Autobiography
| Biography | Autobiography |
|---|---|
| Object | |
| Biography is an objective account written in third person narration | Autobiography is a subjective account written in first-person narration |
| Based on | |
| It is based on facts and is written on extensive research | It is mostly based on lifetime memories, opinions, etc; |
| Sources | |
| A secondary source of information | The primary source of information |
| About | |
| Person life was written by a third person | Here, a person’s life is written by himself. |
| Type of form | |
| It is related to informational text | It is also related to informational text. |
| Notions | |
| It is a non-fiction form of notion | It is also a non-fiction form of notion |
| Order of writing | |
| It is written in chronological order | It is also written in chronological order |
| Example | |
| Life of Mahatma Gandhi - Louis Fischer | The story of my experiments with the truth - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi |
Bottom line:
As a result of the preceding discussion, the difference between biography and autobiography, On the one hand, an autobiography provides us with a personal account of an individual, but biography is written by someone who has been affected by an individual and their life. Both types of books are classified as non-fiction and are meant to offer us knowledge and inspiration.
Further related readings:
