ABSTRACT
Memoir, autobiography, and biography have been among the most popular nonfiction genres for many years. This chapter briefly examines the relative strengths and shortcomings of memoir and biography, and considers the implications of the ghostwriter's role. If the memoirist is a good storyteller, as were actors Carrie Fisher and, from an earlier generation, David Niven, their works can be highly readable and entertaining. No doubt the trend identified by Weinberg was tied to journalism's expanding ambition post-Watergate, but it was also a response to the increasing popularity of autobiographies that were partial or misleading or plain wrong. The practice of biography solves some of the problems inherent in memoir but not all and it has its own limitations. The cult of celebrity has spawned a lucrative niche market for the writer with no ego and limitless discretion.
