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{{trope}}
A '''biography''' is a (supposedly) [[Nonfiction|factual]] accounting of the life of a real person. If written by the person it is about, it's called an autobiography. Biographies date back to the invention of the written word, making this [[Older Than Dirt]]. The word is derived from the classical Greek root words ''auto'' (self or "without external prompting"), ''bio'' (life) and ''graphy'' (to write about).
The [[Biopic]] is one of these in movie form.
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== [[Literature]] ==
* The ''[[Parallel Lives]]'' of [[Plutarch]] is generally considered to be the [[Ur Example]] of the biography as we understand it, as it focuses not on grand historical events but on the smaller ones that cast light on the subjects' personalities.
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* Parson Weems' biography of [[George Washington]] is infamous for having just plain made up certain incidents to make Washington look even more morally upright.
* ''The Life of [[Samuel Johnson]]'', written by James Boswell, is considered the greatest biography in the English language.
* By the same token, [[Benjamin Franklin]]'s ''Autobiography'' is generally considered to be one of the best autobiographies ever written in
* Vladimir Nabokov's ''Speak, Memory''. Nabokov wanted to name it ''Speak, Mnemosyne'' (Mnemosyne being the Greek Titaness who symbolized memory), but his publisher suggested otherwise, fearing that readers wouldn't buy a book whose title they could not pronounce.
* [[Night]] is the autobiography of sixteen-year-old Elie Wiesel going through concentration camps in the [[World War II|Holocaust]].
* Gertrude Stein subverted the genre by writing ''The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas'' and ''Everybody's Autobiography.''
* [[The Game (novel)|The Game]] Is a self help book and the story of Neil Strauss' accent to Pickup Artist all in one package.
* ''My Feuds and Actions'', the autobiography of 16th century German knight and mercenary [[
* Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571), famous Italian goldsmith, sculptor and painter, wrote an autobiography (simply title ''Vita'', "Life", by him), in which he, among other things, describes three murders he committed.
== [[Live
* The ''[[John Adams (TV series)|John Adams]]'' miniseries on HBO is a biography of [[John Adams|the title character]].
* A&E has a popular and long-running series called ''Biography'', which has even spawned its own channel (The Biography Network).
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* Subverted by [[Savatage]]'s ''[[Streets: A Rock Opera]]''. The story of DT Jesus and his struggle with drugs and fame bares a suspicious resemblance to lead singer Jon Oliva's life. It isn't supposed to be his story at all, ''Streets'' released in 1991 and the original story it was adapted from, ''Gutter Ballet'', being written in 1979 by their producer, Paul O'Neill, before his involvement with the band.
==
* Significant biographical musicals include:
** ''[[The Sound of Music]]'', about the Trapp Family
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* Significant biographical stage plays (non-musical) include:
** ''Amadeus'', about the relationship between composers [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] and Antonio Salieri
** ''[[M. Butterfly]]'', about a French diplomat stationed in communist China who carries on a long-term affair with an opera
** ''Caesar and Cleopatra'', by George Bernard Shaw
** ''Saint Joan'', by George Bernard Shaw, about [[Jeanne D'Archetype|Joan of Arc]]
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*** ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]''
== [[
* Most of the entries on real people on this wiki can be considered mini-biographies.
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[[Category:Nonfiction]]
[[Category:Show Genres]]
[[Category:
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