Amemoir (/ˈmɛm.wɑːr/;[1] from French mémoire[me.mwaʁ], from Latin memoria'memory, remembrance') is anynonfictionnarrative writing based on the author's personal memories.[2][3] The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory ofbiography orautobiography since the late 20th century, the genre is differentiated in form, presenting a narrowed focus, usually a particular time phase in someone's life or career. A biography or autobiography tells the story "of a life", while a memoir often tells the story of a particular career, event, or time, such astouchstone moments and turning points in the author's life. The author of a memoir may be referred to as amemoirist or amemorialist.
Memoirs have been written since the ancient times, as shown byJulius Caesar'sCommentarii de Bello Gallico, also known asCommentaries on the Gallic Wars. In the work, Caesar describes the battles that took place during the nine years that he spent fighting local armies in theGallic Wars. His second memoir,Commentarii de Bello Civili (orCommentaries on the Civil War) is an account of the events that took place between 49 and 48 BC inthe civil war againstGnaeus Pompeius and theSenate. The notedLibanius, teacher of rhetoric who lived between an estimated 314 and 394 AD, framed his life memoir as one of his literaryorations, which were written to be read aloud in the privacy of his study. This kind of memoir refers to the idea inancient Greece andRome, that memoirs were like "memos", or pieces of unfinished and unpublished writing, which a writer might use as a memory aid to make a more finished document later on.
TheSarashina Nikki is an example of an early Japanese memoir, written in theHeian period. A genre of book writing,Nikki Bungaku, emerged during this time. Themes of court life, introspection, and emotional expressiveness were frequently explored in Japanese memoirs; Sarashina Nikki is among the most well-known examples.[4]
An excerpt from the manuscript "Memoires onNapoleon's campaigns, experienced as a soldier of the second regiment", written byJoseph Abbeel, 1805–1815.[7]
Over the latter half of the 18th through the mid-20th century, memoirists generally included those who were noted within their chosen profession. These authors wrote as a way to record and publish their own account of their public exploits. Authors included politicians or people in court society and were later joined by military leaders and businessmen. An exception to these models isHenry David Thoreau's 1854 memoirWalden, which presents his experiences over the course of two years in a cabin he built nearWalden Pond. Thoreau's memoir, which emphasized the individual's interaction with nature and independence, became a key work of American literature, especially within the transcendentalist movement.[8]
In the early 1990s, memoirs written by ordinary people experienced a sudden upsurge, as an increasing number of people realized that theirancestors' and their own stories were about to disappear, in part as a result of the opportunities and distractions of technological advances. At the same time,psychology and other research began to show that familiarity withgenealogy helps people find their place in the world and that life review helps people come to terms with their own past.[9] The popularity of the memoir field was also helped by the emergence of social media platforms, as people started writing down and sharing their personal stories to large audiences.
With the advent of inexpensivedigital book production in the first decade of the 21st century,[10] thegenre exploded. Memoirs written as a way to pass down a personal legacy, rather than as a literary work of art or historical document, are emerging as a personal and family responsibility.[11]
TheAssociation of Personal Historians was a trade association for professionals who assisted individuals, families, and organizations in documenting their life stories.[12] It dissolved in 2017.
With the expressed interest of preserving history through the eyes of those who lived it, some organizations work with potential memoirists to bring their work to fruition. TheVeterans History Project, for example, compiles the memoirs of those who have served in a branch of theUnited States Armed Forces – especially those who have seen active combat.[13]
Memoirs are usually understood to be factual accounts of people's lives, typically from their early years, and are derived from the French termmémoire, meaning "reminiscence" or "memory."[14] However, some works, which may be called free memoirs, are less strictly bound to remembered facts: "One type of life story is thefree memoir, a form of nonfiction that, in presenting the past, deviates from factual and literal accuracy. This play of truth distinguishes the free memoir from the memoir per se, the word 'free' meaning what it does infree translation, that is, 'not literal or exact.'”[15]
The term 'memoir' is used in some academic contexts to describe an essay on a learned subject. Examples include explanatory texts accompanyinggeological maps.[16]
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