Biography

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Modern forms

In 1640, Izaak Walton published Life of Donne, a biography about the poet John Donne. The book was the first to take on the complex style of biographical writing used today. In 1683, the first English language biography appeared in history with the publication of a biography of Plutarch by John Dryden. Interestingly enough, Dryden's work delved in great detail about Plutarch's popularization of the word biography.

Related Topics:
1640 - Izaak Walton - John Donne - 1683 - English language - Plutarch - John Dryden

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An influential and widely read biography of the 18th century was Boswell's Life of Johnson (first edition, 1791). Filled with seemingly verbatim accounts of the writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson's conversations as well as many of his letters, it presented its subject to the reader with an intimacy and detail rarely seen before that time or since.

Related Topics:
18th century - Boswell - Life of Johnson - 1791 - Lexicographer - Samuel Johnson

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By the late 20th century, biographies were more focused on the lives of celebrities and politicians. These works typically drew on correspondence, diaries, first-hand interviews, journals, and other sources directly related to the subject. As the development of word processors and personal computers made it easier for authors to assemble vast manuscripts, biographies of a thousand pages or more became commonplace. In reaction, some publishers began putting out much shorter – and less expensive – "brief lives" of famous people.

Related Topics:
20th century - Celebrities - Politician - Word processor - Personal computer

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