Elephant Figure Autobiography Series -- Lin Yutang's Autobiography

Author: Lin Yutang | Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: I was invited by the U.S. publishing house to write this personal profile because it gave me the opportunity to analyze myself, so I happily accepted it. On one hand, this is more for myself than for others; for a person to truly understand their thoughts and experiences, the best way is to pick up a pen and paper and write them down. On the other hand, a memoir is merely an expanded epitaph written by oneself. Chinese scholars have often enjoyed writing their own biographies since Tao Yuanming's "Biography of Master Wu Liu," using it as a means of self-entertainment. If such writings contain clever humor and a certain degree of "self-awareness," they can indeed be delightful and enjoyable reading for others. I believe this explanation is quite sufficient to account for the trend of memoirs in modern Western literature. The author of a memoir does not necessarily have to be an arrogant self-centeredist, nor someone with excessive self-esteem. The purpose of writing a memoir is simply for the author to be honest with themselves. If they adhere to this principle, they can often make others find it interesting without making them feel that the author's life is more important than that of their peers. — Lin Yutang