Definition

Noun: A person who writes a detailed account of another person's life; an author of a biography.

Usage

A biographer is someone who researches and writes the life story of another individual. The work involves gathering facts, conducting interviews, and compiling historical records to create a narrative of the subject's life.

Examples

• The biographer spent ten years researching the letters and diaries of the famous poet.
• She is considered the foremost biographer of 20th-century political leaders.
• A good biographer must balance factual accuracy with compelling storytelling.

Advanced Usage

• "Official biographer": A writer specifically authorized or chosen by the subject or their estate to write the definitive account of their life.
  • He was appointed the official biographer and given exclusive access to the family archives.
• "Literary biographer": A writer who specializes in biographies of authors and literary figures.
  • As a literary biographer, her focus is on how an author's life influences their work.

Variants and Related Words

• Biography (n): The written account of a person's life produced by a biographer.
  • He published a definitive biography of the inventor.
• Biographical (adj): Relating to the facts and events of a person's life.
  • The film takes many biographical liberties.
• Autobiographer (n): A person who writes the story of their own life.
  • In her later years, she became a celebrated autobiographer.

Synonyms

• Life writer
• Chronicler (when referring to recording a life's events)
• Historian (specifically of a person's life)

Related Phrases

• "A biographer's dream": Refers to a subject whose life provides abundant, interesting material for a biography.
  • With his tumultuous career and secret diaries, the artist was a biographer's dream.

Noun

1. someone who writes an account of a person's life