In this episode of the Life Writers Vlog, we discuss autofiction, a genre that blends fact and fiction to write life stories.
Serge Doubrovsky coined a term in 1977 to describe his work. He felt autobiography was only for “great men,” but he didn’t want to call his work fiction because it was based on his real-life experiences. The solution for him was to create a new word—autofiction.
Writers like Rachel Cusk, Jeannette Walls, and others use different labels for their books, but their concepts are the same. They blend truth with untruth or unverified information.
To learn more about Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, watch episode sixty-six of the Life Writers Vlog.
I admit, autofiction isn’t for me. I prefer to know what’s fact and what’s imagined, and if I read autofiction or even historical fiction, I spend most of the time trying to determine what’s true and what isn’t.
Still, it’s a valid option for those who want flexibility with memory and truth.
What about you—would you read or write autofiction? Why or why not? Have you read any books classified as autofiction? If so, what such books have you read?
Tell us about your experience with autofiction in the comments section below.
But if you’re a fan of autofiction or not, always remember, the only way to do this wrong is to not do it at all!
There are still a couple of open spots on the Writing the Waves cruise. If you haven’t done so already, check it out.
I’ve never read anything described as autofiction, or any of the other terms you mentioned, though you have piqued my interest with Half broke horses. It seems that Walls called her grandmother’s story a novel out of a scrupulous belief that she couldn’t vouch for the truth of all of it, which does her credit. She clearly did her best to be accurate. I have read and loved historical fiction, and the imaginative parts don’t trouble me as long as the author has done a good job of researching the verifiable historical events and people. Good historical fiction gives me… Read more »
I have never heard of autofiction until now. I think “fiction” is just that, and autobiographical is not fiction. I’m going to continue writing my memoir and not think about autofiction. I might get too confused. Thanks Patricia.
I want to write either fiction or non-fiction, not an unholy combination of both, because I have a hard enough time figuring out what really happened anyway. Considering how Lisa critiques my memoir, it is possible that all my writing may be fiction. But, as far as fiction goes, it seems to me the difference between fiction and autofiction is one of degree. I don’t think pure fiction is possible. Authors must base their characters, locations, and plots on experiences from their own lives and incorporate aspects of themselves into the work. Where fiction might be 80% made up, and… Read more »
The only half broke horses I know are the stallions I bet on at Aqueduct, Belmont, and Yonkers Raceway.
As far as autofiction goes, this article has me wondering if that’s what I write. All of my works are history. But sometimes I can’t remember all of the details. So from time to time I fudge it a tad.
I read and also liked Half Broke Horses. I had never heard of autofiction but I can see how it can be used in writing. I don’t know if I’d ever use it though.
I read and liked Half Broke Horses, so I guess I like autofiction. I think some writers can’t absolutely verify that everything in their story is a fact, so they call it autofiction.