memoirs
Written life stories
Memoirs are a written account of someone's life and experiences, typically composed by that person.
Unlike autobiography, which aims to cover an entire life comprehensively, memoirs tend to focus on particular periods, themes, or relationships that shaped the author.
The word is almost always plural in this sense, even when referring to a single book: She published her memoirs after retiring from politics.
Politicians, celebrities, and survivors of notable events frequently write memoirs, though the genre welcomes anyone with a story worth telling.
Acts of revealing guilt
- diaryPersonal daily record
- narrativeAccount of events
- recollectionsRetrieved past experiences
- testamentWritten proof or legacy
biography · self-portrait · account · experiences · revelations · introspection · autobiographer · self-examination
Stored historical records
- chronicleOrdered historical record
- recordsStored data or albums
- annalsYear-by-year historical account
- documentaryFactual film about reality
testimony · eyewitness · wartime · political · presidential · diplomatic · court · era
Original text before publication
- proseUnversified language
- nonfictionLiterature about real events
- chapterDivision of a book
- voiceSound from throat
author · ghostwriter · publication · bestseller · posthumous · serialized · collected · edited
Involuntary vivid memory episodes
- recollectionsRetrieved past experiences
- youthState of being immature
- memoriesStored past experiences
- retrospectReflection on past events
nostalgia · yesteryear · bygone · halcyon · wistfulness · sentimentality · reminisce · sepia-toned
Brief amusing accounts
- vignettesBrief evocative descriptions
- talesSpoken or written narratives
- episodesDistinct parts of a series
- narrativesAccounts of events
sketches · accounts · chronicles · yarns · raconteur · scenes · moments · encounters
Inherited cultural legacy
- testamentWritten proof or legacy
- posterityFuture generations collectively
- lastingContinuing through time
- influentialHaving considerable effect
definitive · landmark · seminal · enduring · tribute · homage · posthumous · estate
Observing one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
- self-discoveryLearning one's true character
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
philosophical · wisdom · insight · hindsight · perspective · growth · transformation · reckoning
confessions
Acts of revealing guilt
- diaryPersonal daily record
- narrativeAccount of events
- recollectionsRetrieved past experiences
testament · biography · self-portrait · account · experiences · revelations · introspection · autobiographer · self-examination · candid
archive
Stored historical records
documentary · testimony · eyewitness · wartime · political · presidential · diplomatic · court · era · epoch
manuscript
Original text before publication
- proseUnversified language
- nonfictionLiterature about real events
- chapterDivision of a book
voice · author · ghostwriter · publication · bestseller · posthumous · serialized · collected · edited · abridged
flashbacks
Involuntary vivid memory episodes
- recollectionsRetrieved past experiences
- youthState of being immature
- memoriesStored past experiences
retrospect · nostalgia · yesteryear · bygone · halcyon · wistfulness · sentimentality · reminisce · sepia-toned · childhood
anecdotes
Brief amusing accounts
- vignettesBrief evocative descriptions
- talesSpoken or written narratives
- episodesDistinct parts of a series
narratives · sketches · accounts · chronicles · yarns · raconteur · scenes · moments · encounters · adventures
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- testamentWritten proof or legacy
- posterityFuture generations collectively
- lastingContinuing through time
influential · definitive · landmark · seminal · enduring · tribute · homage · posthumous · estate
introspection
Observing one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
- self-discoveryLearning one's true character
self-awareness · philosophical · wisdom · insight · hindsight · perspective · growth · transformation · reckoning · confessional
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, paperback
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- literary formsnovel, novels, novella, poetry, poetry collections
- literary workspoems, novels, poetry, fiction, plays
- Autobiographiesautobiographies, life stories, personal narratives, autobiographical essays
- celebrity booksautobiographies, tell-all books, tell-alls, famous lives, life stories
memoirsbiography
Written life account
authorized biography · unauthorized biography · hagiography · profile · life story
memoirsfiction
Imagined narrative work
novel · fantasy · fabrication · invention · tall tales
memoirsprophecy
Foretelling of future events
predictions · manifesto · prospectus · business plan · futurism
- war memoirsWritten accounts of combat experience
- celebrity memoirFamous person's published recollections
- travel memoirWritten account of journeys
- graphic memoirAutobiographical work in comics
- personal memoirsSelf-written life narrative
- Holocaust memoirAccount of Nazi persecution