And Hello!

Posted by Dale Van Every Oct 12, 2008

In my excitement to get that first blog post about six word memoirs up (have you tried writing yours yet?), I forgot to introduce myself and this blog.

Hello! Jambo! (Greetings in Swahili), I'm Dale, the new feature writer for Biographies/Memoirs here at Suite 101. I'm excited about this subject matter, particularly because it covers so much ground. Reading about great lives encompasses every aspect of life, every type of person imaginable.

Last week I read about a classy lady who also happened to be an aviation pioneer and wonderful writer. That was followed by the harrowing story of an equally talented musician whose abuse of alcohol nearly ruined him many times over. Anne Lindbergh and Warren Zevon, it would be hard to find two more different characters. But both stories were engaging, thought-provoking and best of all, true. For me at least, it's the factual aspect of biographical stories that make them so compelling.

As a writer of fiction, reading a novel is a slow instructive process. Don't get me wrong, I am somehow still able to enjoy them and appreciate them for works of art. But a good autobiography (biography or memoir included) is something I devour, whether it's the story of a political leader who changed the course of history or a "nobody" waitress railing against the system. There is always something to learn from how others have lived their lives.

So as we focus here at Biographies/Memoirs on lives big and small, renowned and unknown, I hope you will check back often to find out what we've learned, get some recommendations, and read about all aspects of what biography, autobiography and memoir have to offer.

"Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory."  ---Benjamin Disraeli