A biography, or bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It includes more than just simple facts, such as education, jobs, relationships, and death. Instead, it shows how a person experienced these events. Unlike a profile or résumé, a biography tells the full story of a person's life, focusing on different parts of their experiences, including personal moments. It may also explain the person's personality.
Biographical works are usually not made up, but sometimes stories about real people are written as fiction. One detailed type of biography is called legacy writing. Biographies can appear in many forms, such as books, movies, and other media.
An authorized biography is written with the permission and help of the person or their family. An unauthorized biography is written without their permission. An autobiography is written by the person themselves, and sometimes with the help of another person, like a writer.
History
Biographical writing was once seen as a part of history, focusing on important individuals. Over time, biography became its own separate genre, starting in the 1700s and developing into its modern form around the start of the 1900s.
Biography is one of the oldest forms of writing. Early examples were found in ancient Egypt, where texts on tomb inscriptions described the lives of high-ranking officials who had died. These texts date back to about 2600 BCE.
In Mesopotamia around 2100 BCE, a famous biography was written about a king named Gilgamesh. Some versions of this story may be based on real events. A few centuries later, a biography about Abraham, a figure in ancient Hebrew traditions, was written. This story may be historical or fictional.
In ancient Greece, Xenophon wrote a biography about Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire. In Rome, Cornelius Nepos wrote "Lives of Outstanding Generals" in 44 BCE. Later, Plutarch wrote "Parallel Lives" around 80 CE, comparing famous Greeks and Romans, such as Demosthenes and Cicero. Another important work was "On the Lives of the Caesars" by Suetonius, written in 121 CE. Meanwhile, religious texts described the life of Jesus.
During the early Middle Ages (400–1450 CE), knowledge of ancient cultures declined in Europe. The Roman Catholic Church became the main source of historical records. Religious figures like monks and priests wrote biographies about church leaders, martyrs, and saints. These works aimed to inspire people and encourage conversion to Christianity. One example is the biography of Charlemagne by Einhard.
In Medieval India, Jain scholars wrote biographical stories called Prabandhas in Sanskrit. These texts, starting in the 1200s, focused on the lives of famous people.
In the Islamic world (750–1258 CE), biographies of Muhammad and other important Islamic figures began to be written. Early works, like "The Book of The Major Classes" by Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi, collected information about Islamic leaders and their followers.
By the late Middle Ages, European biographies shifted from religious themes to focus on kings, knights, and rulers. "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory, written in the 1400s, described the legendary life of King Arthur. The Renaissance encouraged humanism, leading to biographies about artists, poets, and secular subjects.
Giorgio Vasari's "Lives of the Artists" (1550) became a famous biography about artists, helping to popularize secular subjects. The invention of the printing press in the 1400s and rising literacy also helped spread biographies.
In England, biographies began appearing during the reign of Henry VIII. John Foxe's "Foxe's Book of Martyrs" (1563) was one of the first biographical dictionaries in Europe. Later works, like Thomas Fuller's "The History of the Worthies of England" (1662), focused on public figures.
Charles Johnson's "A General History of the Pyrates" (1724) became a key source for pirate biographies. In the UK, "Biographia Britannica" (1747–1766) collected biographies of notable people.
American biographies followed the English model, influenced by Thomas Carlyle, who believed that studying great people helped understand society. American writers developed a distinct style of biography, often aiming to shape readers' character and define national identity.
James Boswell's "The Life of Samuel Johnson" (1791) is considered the first modern biography. Though Boswell met Johnson in 1763, he researched Johnson's entire life, creating a detailed and honest account. His work set a standard for future biographies.
In the 1800s, biographical writing slowed, with many returning to religious-style stories about the dead. However, more people began reading biographies, and affordable paperbacks and magazines made them widely available. Autobiographies also grew in popularity, especially as fame and celebrity culture developed. Authors like Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, John Stuart Mill, and P.T. Barnum wrote or included autobiographical elements in their works.