Reading an Autobiography

Of the startling variety of genres, autobiography is the most intimate. The first-person narration of one's life, it is like an opened-window, opened to the world by the person himself. Maybe it is an injustice to speak of autobiography as a window as if it affords the readers only a marvelled glimpse at the interior of a richly furnished drawing-room. Or, maybe it is like an invitation to a conversation. Just like a conversation reflects the taste and sensibility of the other person, every autobiography reflects, in a way, the life and mind of the writer. But, it is difficult to fix a single metaphor to describe every work of the genre. Whatever be the metaphor, it is a plea to be heard. Like every plea, it is a defence of the choices the author made in his life. Like every plea, it persuades us to identify with those choices. Sometimes, we do.

Source: Amazon