Between Autobiography and Biography. Literary Biography as a Matter of Sociological Research

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to draw attention to the literary biography as a possible object of sociological research. This article consists of two parts. In the first one, biography is presented in the perspective of literary communication between the hero and the author of the biography. The hero of biography is trying to give a definite meaning to his life in the autobiographical data. The author can accept this meaning, but he or she can also reject it. I argue that between the hero and the author of the biography there is sometimes an unspoken agreement (moral pact) that obligates the biographer to maintain intimacy, avoid treachery, not to undermine the confidence. In the second part I analyzed strategies used by the authors of two biographies (by Andrzej Franszek and Artur Domosławski). These biographies were published almost simultaneously, both are dedicated to outstanding figures of Polish literature and public life. Both of them carry a different approach to the (auto)biographical material. While the first biography is an example of moral pact, the second one – on the contrary – violates it.