Biographical Fiction - Oxymoron or Literary Genre?

October 11, 2010

I used to think that biographical fiction was an oxymoron ranking right up there with icy hot and jumbo shrimp. I was distrustful of the genre, and was uncomfortable with authors injecting fiction into fact. Then, I read Half Broke Horses: a True-life Novel by Jeannette Walls. Now, as the famous song title states, I’m a believer. This book is a retelling of the stories and escapades of Ms. Walls's grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. She wrote the book in the first person to capture her grandmother’s "distinctive voice", and called the book a novel only because she had to draw on her own imagination to fill in missing details. It is a fascinating read and one I highly recommend.

Do you read biographical fiction, and if so, what do you recommend?

Mary P.
Blue Springs North Branch