All Books Are Autobiographies
I was watching an old episode of Rick and Morty, and Morty’s son stated, “All writing is autobiographical.” This concept has been rattling around my bonkers mind for a while, and I thought it would be fun to explore.
This observation states that a book directly reflects the author’s life. Yet, that is a big leap. Take the book Christine by Stephen King. Clearly, he is not a haunted car. How about a George Washington autobiography or a physics textbook? George is dead, and an author cannot be a subatomic particle. I suppose there are many ways to interpret this statement. On the one hand, an author creates every sentence, which means they put 100% of themselves into their work. Yet, the topic dictates what is being written, and the author is along for the ride.
Let’s examine a George Washington biography. To create such a work, an author gathers facts and assembles them into a book. Along the way, many choices are made, including content, arrangement, format, theme, flow, presentation, and exclusions. The very first choice is the subject. And there is the primary support element for the argument. It takes a particular type of person to write a biography of George Washington, and the lengthy result would have to be a personal reflection.
A different type of author would be required to write professional skateboarder Tony Hawk’s biography. Meaning, a certain image forms in my mind of a skateboard author. They are young and hip. Can you imagine a skateboard author writing a George Washington biography? Yet, both people are famous and lead exciting lives. One would think any competent author should be able to write about both. In my mind, I cannot fathom an author passionately doing a good job (not a school-mandated book report) writing about these radically different men.
Tony Hawk’s biography would probably have the words “cool” and “radical” in every paragraph. George Washington’s biography would contain words like “dignified” and “reserved.” Yet we know Tony Hawk probably had dignified and reserved moments. So, the choice is more a reflection of the author rather than of the subject matter.
It is an intriguing concept to consider that all books are, in a sense, autobiographies. In my case, I put a lot of myself into everything I write. The result is that I see myself in every paragraph. I think I am implying that in my case, I cannot escape myself. So, I suppose it is true for me.
Is this bad or good? Honestly, I think it just is what it is. A cook would make food they enjoy eating, while a painter would paint something they would enjoy seeing. On the other end of the spectrum, a nurse would treat a patient the way they would want to be treated, and a manager would manage people the way they would want to be managed. So, it is no surprise that a writer puts a little of themselves into their words.
So, what can we conclude about this very article? The author has a reserved personality, deep thoughts, and an intellectual outlook. Plus, he likes Rick and Morty. Seems like my type of person. Gosh, I just wrote my autobiography.
You’re the best -Bill
March 24, 2021 Updated September 22, 2025
This observation states that a book directly reflects the author’s life. Yet, that is a big leap. Take the book Christine by Stephen King. Clearly, he is not a haunted car. How about a George Washington autobiography or a physics textbook? George is dead, and an author cannot be a subatomic particle. I suppose there are many ways to interpret this statement. On the one hand, an author creates every sentence, which means they put 100% of themselves into their work. Yet, the topic dictates what is being written, and the author is along for the ride.
Let’s examine a George Washington biography. To create such a work, an author gathers facts and assembles them into a book. Along the way, many choices are made, including content, arrangement, format, theme, flow, presentation, and exclusions. The very first choice is the subject. And there is the primary support element for the argument. It takes a particular type of person to write a biography of George Washington, and the lengthy result would have to be a personal reflection.
A different type of author would be required to write professional skateboarder Tony Hawk’s biography. Meaning, a certain image forms in my mind of a skateboard author. They are young and hip. Can you imagine a skateboard author writing a George Washington biography? Yet, both people are famous and lead exciting lives. One would think any competent author should be able to write about both. In my mind, I cannot fathom an author passionately doing a good job (not a school-mandated book report) writing about these radically different men.
Tony Hawk’s biography would probably have the words “cool” and “radical” in every paragraph. George Washington’s biography would contain words like “dignified” and “reserved.” Yet we know Tony Hawk probably had dignified and reserved moments. So, the choice is more a reflection of the author rather than of the subject matter.
It is an intriguing concept to consider that all books are, in a sense, autobiographies. In my case, I put a lot of myself into everything I write. The result is that I see myself in every paragraph. I think I am implying that in my case, I cannot escape myself. So, I suppose it is true for me.
Is this bad or good? Honestly, I think it just is what it is. A cook would make food they enjoy eating, while a painter would paint something they would enjoy seeing. On the other end of the spectrum, a nurse would treat a patient the way they would want to be treated, and a manager would manage people the way they would want to be managed. So, it is no surprise that a writer puts a little of themselves into their words.
So, what can we conclude about this very article? The author has a reserved personality, deep thoughts, and an intellectual outlook. Plus, he likes Rick and Morty. Seems like my type of person. Gosh, I just wrote my autobiography.
You’re the best -Bill
March 24, 2021 Updated September 22, 2025
