A Healing Art: Regeneration Through Autobiography

Originally published in 1990. Many post-World War I autobiographies focus on episodes of crisis. In a century torn by global strife and breakdown of cultural institutions, autobiography provides a way of recovering from crisis and restructuring reality–a healing act that involves the writer in a "wrestle with words and meanings" that can be deeply regenerative. Narration can be a way of purging guilt and pain, re-centering the self, and reconnecting with community after a shattering experience h