Birgitte Possing. Understanding Biographies; Caitríona Ní Dhúill. Metabiography

Abstract

Both in the Scandinavian countries and in Germany, the status of biographical writing has changed to a far greater extent in the last fifty years than in the Anglo-Saxon world. In the latter context, biography has been more popular than in Germany and, for example, Denmark and Sweden. It has continuously been regarded as both a genre worthy from a scholarly career point of view and as a means for scholars, such as historians, to reach a wider audience outside the academic ivory tower. Explanations for this difference may lie in diverse scholarly traditions where American and British scholars have consciously strived for a larger readership than the purely specialized and interdisciplinary one. An Anglo-Saxon narrative tradition in which language, style and composition have been key words has supported biography writing.