Over the past 10 or so years, there's been a significant boom in the amount of memoirs getting published. An art that at one point in history was reserved for the moderately accomplished has since been taken up by beginning writers with - at least commercially - great success. Rather than ending a career with a memoir, authors like Dave Eggers begin with them.
Although the lives of the non-rich-and-famous aren't necessarily uneventful and uninteresting, when I discovered that a 25-year-old family friend had taken time off from grad school to write her memoirs, I found myself questioning the movement. What has changed about our literary culture that makes it now appropriate, even encouraged, for young writers to explore their brief and unsettled lives? When beginning writers dwell on their memories, do they approach them with the same distance and, arguably, depth, as more experienced writers? And what does this mean for fiction?
Certainly, it makes sense to write about something you know extraordinarily well. I also think the general art of storytelling applies as much to memoirs as to fiction. That said, I still feel there's something slightly immature about writing about oneself in what is essentially the present tense. Do young authors write their memories down so early on so they won't forget them, and if so isn't that what journals are for? Part of what traditionally makes memoirs so interesting is that they are memories tempered by time and wisdom. It takes age to recognize what decisions we have made end up being the most significant or ironic. At 25, do authors really feel they've already experienced the most thrilling or poignant events of their lives?
Meanwhile, with authors like Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris making a living by writing almost exclusively memoirs, I wonder about the effect on fiction and even other forms of creative non-fiction. I'll be the first to admit to finding Sedaris entertaining, but there's something essentially lazy about his sort of writing. Sure, some writers may really delve into it and talk to people from their pasts, but I'm guessing they mostly work from memory (hence, memoir"").
There's also, obviously, the self-centered aspect. What really motivates an author, particularly an inexperienced one, to publish their memoirs? Even for those publicizing their dirty laundry, I assume they're not deluded enough to consider it an act of redemption.
In defense of young memoir writers, many, like Sedaris, have honed their wit in such a way that gives readers a real reason to pick up their books. After all, unless you have a childhood laden with poverty-induced trauma like Frank McCourt, it's difficult to excuse passing off your life as dramatic enough to garner the attention of the general reading public. Still, style isn't everything in literature, or shouldn't be. And if you want to move people, why not do it with solid, relatable fiction rather than grabbing for personal sympathy?
I would be lying if I said I haven't enjoyed reading some early memoirs. I'm anxious about the direction of the trend, though. If I want to be a writer, does that mean I have to start writing my memoirs now? After all, they sell well.
If you would like Frances to edit the memoir you started your freshman year, let her know at provine@wisc.edu.
