Reviews and Reports

Birgitte Possing. Understanding Biographies; Caitríona Ní Dhúill. Metabiography

Authors

  • Henrik Rosengren Lund University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21827/ejlw.9.37311

Keywords:

book review

Abstract

Both in the Scandinavian countries and in Germany, the status of biographical writing has changed to a far greater extent in the last fifty years than in the Anglo-Saxon world. In the latter context, biography has been more popular than in Germany and, for example, Denmark and Sweden. It has continuously been regarded as both a genre worthy from a scholarly career point of view and as a means for scholars, such as historians, to reach a wider audience outside the academic ivory tower. Explanations for this difference may lie in diverse scholarly traditions where American and British scholars have consciously strived for a larger readership than the purely specialized and interdisciplinary one. An Anglo-Saxon narrative tradition in which language, style and composition have been key words has supported biography writing.

Author Biography

Henrik Rosengren, Lund University

Henrik Rosengren, Ph.D, is an assistant professor in historia at the Department of History at Lund University, Sweden. His research topics include anti-Semitism, biography writing, music history and exile research. He was chief editor for the historical journal Scandia 2014-2017. He is currently working with a research project regarding the musical relations between Sweden and GDR. email:henrik.rosengren@hist.lu.se 

Published

2020-12-28

Issue

Section

Reviews and Reports