We often wonder what it would be like to be a celebrity and what triggered them to do such extraordinary work. Humans are curious about everything, especially those who bring considerable change. Therefore, biographies about famous people are a perfect way to satisfy such hunger.
Biographies give insight into the decision-making and circumstances surrounding history’s most momentous events. They offer a detailed version of various situations we may have heard of but have yet to explore.
So, let us understand in detail what a biography is.
Table of Contents
Biography and Its Types
Biography is the story of a real person written by someone else. They may still be alive or may have lived centuries ago. It can be about people with global fame, a history’s forgotten hero, or a group of heroes.
Biographies meaning is to include every essential fact from birth to death, specifically the life-altering decision or event. The author usually begins with the subject’s childhood and advances to the subject’s upcoming events, relationships, successes, and failures.
There are five main types of biography.
Contemporary Biography
A typical biography tells a tale of someone’s life. The person may be alive or may have passed away recently. Some of these biographies are written with permission from the subject or their family members, whereas some may not.
Historical Biography
Historical Biographies are about people who died but did not receive any recognition they deserved for their work. The best historical biographies example is Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton, published in 2004.
Autobiography
The subject themselves writes such biographies. It contains details of one’s entire life till the point of writing. It can be of a famous leader or some famous actor or actress who wishes to share their life story with you.
Memoir
Memoirs focus on a crucial specific event in someone’s life. It is a type of autobiography. A classic example of a memoir is A Promised Land, which describes Obama’s political path and his first four years in office. Some of the top biographies about famous people are memoirs.
Fictional Biography
As the name suggests, such biographies are whimsical but scholarly biographies written based on facts. The plot and characters are well-researched but portrayed more entertainingly. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict is a fictional biography and one of the best biography novels.
Six Top Biography You Must Read
Some biographies are very popular and require a must-read status. We have selected the six best biography to read based on critical acclaim. These biographies are of people from different backgrounds who teach us about persistence, devotion, life, and more.
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
If you are curious about Egyptian history, this book is for you. It is a classic, written by the Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff, about the most famous woman in history, Cleopatra. The book beautifully depicts how Cleopatra’s fame outweighs her fantastic life and achievements. It is a well-researched book dispelling the misogynistic tales of Egypt’s queen.
Einstein: His Life and Universe
The biography of Albert Einstein tells us how his mind worked and why he was a genius. It shows how his revolutionary character turned into a scientific vision. It is a perfect example of the connection between freedom and creativity.
The book based on Einstein’s letters talks about an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk and a struggling father and his journey to becoming the mind reader of the cosmos creator, the locksmith of the atom’s mysteries and the universe. He questioned conventional wisdom and marvelled at mysteries that were mundane to others.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Diary of a Young Girl is an inspirational autobiography by Anne Frank. It contains the story of her final years spent in the attic during World War II. Her tone’s remarkability is so strong that it can make anyone feel wrong to let their struggles steer their path. You can easily see Frank’s uplifting intentions in the book.
Gandhi Before India by Ramachandra Guha
Gandhi Before India is a thoroughly researched book on Mahatma Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha. It is a part of his biographical trilogy on Mahatma Gandhi. The book tells about Gandhi’s early years from school to college, his struggles with acceptance as a lawyer in India, and the final formative years of his career in South Africa.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
You can find many biographies about the 16th President, but this one stands out for its story about his cabinet. Doris Kearns Goodwin, a Pulitzer Prize awardee, brilliantly presented the story. This book inspires Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, an Oscar winner. It is a fast-paced novel best recommended for those who enjoy rivalry psychology.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
One of the most well-known biographies about famous people, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, tells an incredible and motivational tale of Steve Jobs’s private and professional life. After three years of exclusive interviews with Steve, his family, colleagues, and rivals, Walter wrote this inspirational piece.
Bottom Line
Many people inspire others through their acts or deeds. They have left us with life guidelines and motivations to follow. Biographies inspire people by teaching essential life lessons through other people’s experiences. They are the most beautiful and brilliant books to read.
FAQs
Some famous personalities who have been the subject of one or more biographies are Betty Ford, Alexander the Great, Albert Einstein, Cleopatra, Benjamin Franklin, Barrack Obama, Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, etc.
Biographies provide a distant mentor guiding you through the struggles of life. Biographies meaning is to give you an insight into the lives of famous personalities and help you shape your life. If you have read biographies of famous personalities like Gandhi, Anne Frank, Steve Jobs, etc, you got a glimpse of their mind and now know them.
The most extended biography is the biography of Sir Winston Churchill, a book begun by his son Randolph in 1968 and continued by Sir Martin Gilbert. It contains 16 companion volumes with around ten million words.
The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell is the first modern biography. It was published on 16 May 1791. The book is about a lexicographer and letterman, Samuel Johnson, who dramatically influenced the genre’s evolution.
There are many biographies about famous people, but the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a must-read biography of all time. Franklin started improving himself at a very young age. He wanted to inspire others to help them become better people. Therefore, this book is intentionally rewritten for his son and American society to understand his life.
Media Team of Matchlessly is dedicated to explore and collect all the stories/info which require the attention of the world.