Ben Yagoda is a journalism professor at the University of Delaware. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of ten books, including Memoir- A History, Will Rogers- A Biography, and When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It, and has written for Slate, The New York Times Magazine, and publications that start with every letter of the alphabet except J, K, Q, X, and Z. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife.
Praise for Memoir: A History
"Spirited... Yagoda's incisive exploration is a worthy study of a
genre that even now cannot completely be defined." -- Los
Angeles Times
“Perceptive, thorough, and amusing.”-- New York Magazine
“This idea-driven cultural criticism leads to all kinds of
interesting places.” -- Christian Science Monitor
“Ben Yagoda is one of the most subtle—and entertaining—writers
about writing one can find. His history of the memoir reads between
the lines—and the lies—with illuminating precision.” —Ron
Rosenbaum, author of Explaining Hitler and The Shakespeare Wars
“We owe Ben Yagoda such a huge debt of thanks: his witty,
comprehensive, and insightful ‘biography’ of the form reminds us
why the memoir matters – and will continue to matter as long as
humans think, read, and write. This is literary criticism at its
lively best.” —David Friedman, author of A Mind of Its Own: A
Cultural History of the Penis and The Immortalists: Charles
Lindbergh, Dr. Alexis Carrel, and Their Daring Quest to Live
Forever
“A shrewd and witty history of memoir sweeps us from Julius Caesar
to James Frey. Our guide, Ben Yagoda, is always fine company, with
just the right word, kindly good judgment, and another great story
coming up on the next page. It's a splendid journey.” —Richard Ben
Cramer, author of Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life and How Israel
Lost: The Four Questions
"Fascinating… With its mixture of literary criticism, cultural
history and just enough trivia, Yagoda’s survey is sure to appeal
to scholars and bibliophiles alike.” – Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
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