We’ve been studying in french class these past weeks about biographies and autobiographies. It’s a relatively recent style of writing since it appeared in the 18th century with Confessions by Rousseau. We read three autobiographies: Si c’est un homme, by Primo LEVI, Confessions (volume 1) by ROUSSEAU, and Enfance, by SARRAUTE. Although both of them talk about themselves, their objtective are distinct. Primo Levi writes about life in a concentration camp during world war II, and he writes in order to put out all that crosses his mind. He describes the way things worked at that period, and his description envolves not only his world, but everybody else’s, who were in the same situation. Whereas Rousseau writes about his personal life. He describes some episodes of his youth, things he used to do, and how he felt about them. Sarraute, in Enfance, has a very original way of writing about herself: she writes about short scenes she remembers from when she was little. She also opens a dialogue with herself, making her ”present” infer in her “past”, trying to figure out how she felt, and, at the same time, showing how she sees that episode nowadays.
Through these three books, we can notice that the interest in writing an autobiography varies from author to author according to their intern sentimental needs.
So I started wondering about that, and asking myself what would I write if I had to write my autobiography. I think that the toughest thing to do is not really to remember the old moments, because the important ones we never forget, but it’s mostly to transmit the feelings, and tell our lives in a captivating way. I could stay months and months reading and writing about myself, but that’s just because it’s me. Who would want to read a book about an unknown person? Well, it’s true that there are all kinds of people out there…
Anyway, I think that I’d write focussing on my father’s job’s influence in my life, to which I attribue a major responsability in the defenition of my character. He was a diplomat.
Was it a bad thing or a good thing?
I still don’t know…
Maybe if I write my autobiography someday, I could figure it out.
I feel that by recording raw snippets of events, reflections and feelings, moments, impressions – just like you are doing now- may help you bring things together in the future. Do not agonize over writing and being perfect- just let your mind flow.
My grandfather, who was a journalist, used to write his reflections everyday. When he died, there were more than 200 leather-bound handwritten diaries. We donated them to the Polish museum in the USA. I wish I could have read some of them.