Biographical Fiction vs. Autobiography: What’s the Difference?

Who has never been fascinated by the life of an extraordinary personality?

Biographies and autobiographies, by offering us an intimate glimpse into the lives of others, respond to this innate curiosity.

But did you know that there is a literary genre that combines creative audacity and historical rigor?

Halfway between fiction and reality, biographical fiction is a literary genre that can sometimes be confusing. This subtle play between real facts and fiction allows for the creation of captivating stories and the giving of new dimensions to often already well-known personalities. By drawing inspiration from real figures, biographical fiction offers writers a blank canvas on which they can imagine, invent and reinterpret.

Biographical fiction invites us to rethink our relationship with truth and fiction. In this article, we will lift the veil on this fascinating literary genre that blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination.

What is biographical fiction?

A biographical fiction is a story that is inspired by a real life, but takes liberties with the facts. The author uses an existing person as a starting point to create a fictionalized story.

Biographical fiction offers creative freedom to the author, allowing him or her to invent dialogues, scenes and even to modify certain events to better serve his or her story. Far from being a simple falsification of reality, this approach allows one to explore the depths of the human psyche, to reveal the hidden motivations of a character and to propose a new interpretation of his or her life.

In other words, biographical fiction does not simply relate facts; it reinvents them in order to better understand them. It invites us to take a fresh look at emblematic figures, to question historical sources and to wonder about the very nature of truth.

The main characteristics of a biographical fiction are:

A historical or contemporary figure: The story centers on a real figure, whose life is known to the public.
Part fiction: The author takes creative liberties with the facts to make the story more captivating.
A narrative purpose: Beyond simply presenting facts, biographical fiction aims to explore themes, arouse emotions, or offer a new interpretation of a life.

Examples of biographical fiction:

The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo, who, although he invents the story of the main character, relies on a period and historical figures to set the scene.

Biographical Fiction vs. Autobiography: The Key Differences

Although biographical fiction and autobiography have in common the interest in a human life, they are distinguished by several fundamental aspects which make them two literary genres with very distinct objectives and methods.

The narrative pact: While autobiography is based on an implicit pact of truthfulness, biographical fiction, on the other hand, takes liberties with the facts. The author of a biographical fiction does not feel obliged to scrupulously respect historical facts, while the author of an autobiography presents himself or herself as the privileged witness of his or her own existence.
Point of view: Autobiography is usually written in the first person, providing direct access to the author's subjectivity. Biographical fiction, which is more flexible, can adopt different points of view, including that of an omniscient narrator, thus allowing a broader exploration of the psychology of the characters and events. Autobiography, although it can be very literary, remains above all a personal testimony.
The purpose of writing: Autobiography often aims to bear witness, to confide, to leave a trace. It can also have a cathartic dimension for the author. Biographical fiction, on the other hand, has broader ambitions. It seeks to entertain, to move, to question the reader on universal questions.
The treatment of time: Autobiography generally follows a chronological order, tracing the key stages of the author's life. Biographical fiction, which is freer, can play with time, alternate flashbacks* and flashforwards**, and even invent scenes that never took place. It can rewrite history, offer a new interpretation of events, and thus invite the reader to reflect on the relationship we have with the past.

Biographical fiction offers a multitude of creative possibilities to explore human lives. This is the case for my next novel, Beyond Love (Au-Delà de l'Amour), by choosing biographical fiction, I was able to give free rein to my imagination. I was able to revisit painful episodes of my life, and create a story that gives them a universal dimension. Biographical fiction allowed me to approach difficult subjects with a certain distance, while preserving the authenticity of my emotions.

Beyond Love (Au-Delà de l'Amour) is much more than a simple autobiography. It is a novel that draws its roots from my personal experience, but which quickly frees itself from it to become a work in its own right.

Conclusion

In short, biographical fiction is located on the border between real history and imagination, using a person's life as a starting point to create a work halfway between reality and fiction. Autobiography, on the other hand, is the authentic account of a life, told by the person who lived it, with all the subjectivity that this implies.

These two genres offer different perspectives on how to tell a life story, one playing on invention and creative interpretation, the other on personal testimony. Each has its place in literature and allows the reader to explore human experiences from different angles.