Writing autobiographies and memoirs: The attraction of life stories

The trend of writing autobiographies and memoirs currently occupies a certain position in literary life.

In recent years, the profession of writing memoirs and autobiographies has gradually been considered a unique and highly specialized job. In addition to accurately recording information, writers also need to have a rich vocabulary and grammar to convey the emotions of the story on each page of the book.

Best-selling autobiography and memoir

In early January 2025, the memoir "Carve Away... Carve Away" by 96-year-old female director Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong was awarded the Mai Vang Award in the literary category. Released in September 2024, after only 2 months of release, the book was reprinted for the third time with a total print run of 4,000 copies.

Best-selling memoirs at Tre Publishing House

Another excellent and widely-resonant work is the memoir "Family, Friends and Country" by former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, which has sold 48,000 copies and is mainly purchased by young people. This is a rare phenomenon in the political book genre up to now.

At Tre Publishing House, books about famous people that have been printed three times or more include "Vo Nguyen Giap - Hundred-year heroic spirit", "Nguyen Van Linh - Journey with history", "Tran Van Giau - Hundred-year mark"... At Phuong Nam Book, there are autobiographies and memoirs that are always bestsellers even though they have been published for a long time, such as: "Tam thanh va Loc doi" (memoir of Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc), autobiography "Phut 89" (Le Cong Vinh); "Madam Nhu - Quyen luc Ba Rong" (portrait book about Mrs. Tran Le Xuan). Recently, veteran artists such as: Huu Chau - book "Huu Chau - Golden cradle of storms", Xuan Hinh - book "The folk joker" have also released their portraits and autobiographies one after another and received great attention from readers.

"I hope that through my life and artistic journey told in this book, readers will understand and love our national culture more" - artist Xuan Hinh confided about his autobiography "The Folk Jokemaker".

The "thread" that connects memories

For the elderly, writing down their life journey is not just a book, but a sentimental gift, a "thread" connecting memories with the present and the future. The process of creating a memoir is usually carried out in 4 steps: scheduling meetings, consulting on ideas, surveying to build style and content; meeting characters to listen to life stories; layout content; and finally printing and completion. The entire process is accompanied by a team of friendly and dedicated consultants.

Since September 2022, Mr. Pham Tuan and his colleagues have launched the Viethoiky.com project with the desire to help many people, especially the elderly, to tell their life stories completely.

"Many people think that only famous people need to rewrite their lives. But in fact, everyone has a story worth recording. Most customers do not focus on cost, but on quality and content. Because a memoir is not simply a record, but also a precious spiritual gift - a part of memory preserved for future generations" - Mr. Pham Tuan shared.

Resonate with life

In fact, memoirs have made a significant contribution to the flow of literature and life by being attractive, vivid and authentic. The appeal of memoirs lies in the fact that the more personal they are, the more connection they create. That connection is not through sensational details, but through the depth of emotions and empathy of the reader.

A media representative from Tre Publishing House said that best-selling memoirs and autobiographies often revolve around famous people with widely known achievements, and the attraction in these books is not the story of an individual, but many details surrounding them, related to a company, industry or even an entire socio -economic period.

According to Associate Professor, Doctor - critic Ngo Van Gia, memoirs and autobiographies are genres that clearly reveal the individual's ego, but if they stop there, they will fail. "A work that wants to be successful and have long-lasting vitality must demonstrate the relationship between the individual and the community, resonate with life, make readers ponder and collect social, cultural, and historical values, thereby making more positive changes, living more humanely" - critic Ngo Van Gia commented.

The emergence of many valuable memoirs, along with the increasing acceptance of young people, has helped this genre gradually assert its own position. Memoirs have been and are creating an interesting competition with traditional genres such as novels or short stories.

Insiders believe that the appeal of memoirs comes from the unchanging human desire to understand oneself through others and to touch the truth. No matter how technology changes or how social media develops, a sincere memoir will always hold its own place on the bookshelf and in the hearts of readers.

According to KIM NGAN/ nld.com.vn

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/202508/viet-tu-truyen-hoi-ky-suc-hut-tu-nhung-cau-chuyen-cuoc-doi-2c72917/