oa En scène!

En scène! The Biography as a visible loss

This article is based on the finding that it is unsustainable for the biographer to maintain a strict perception of historical accuracy. Two questions are discussed in more detail. Firstly, how does the biographer handle the realization that he never really grasps the historical truth, although his work is expected to indicate a true record of events based in verifiable facts? Secondly, to what extent should the biographer testify of that awareness in his work? This article advocates a biographical style that visibly incorporates in the text the restrictions that the biographer is confronted with. Special attention is paid to the writer’s biography.