The biographer might not have access to the subject's personal records A biography can be either authorized or unauthorized. An authorized biography means that the biographer had the cooperation of either the subject or the subject’s living representatives when the biography was researched and written. The biographer usually has full access to the subject's personal records. It means that the subject or the subject’s representatives read and approved the final work. The people involved in giving authorization might have asked that certain information be left out. This can affect the reliability of the biography. An unauthorized biography is usually written without the support or approval of the subject or the subject’s representatives. The biographer may or may not have full access to the subject's personal records. Normally, biographers work hard to present an unbiased and objective account of their subject’s life. However, biographers must select certain events when telling their story. The events selected by the author may not represent a balanced account of the subject’s life. It may not present the whole picture. For example, a biographer might tell about the subject’s life as a basketball star but the book may not tell the story of the struggles the subject went through to become a professional athlete. The biographer might not want to offend the athlete, who may still be living, by telling of all the hardships that he or she endured. However, you can see that the story would not be accurate or complete if these important details were left out. Even with a biographer who did not personally know the subject, you should question the author’s purpose in writing the biography. The biographer who did not personally know the subject has the opportunity to be the most reliable, particularly if some time has passed since the subject was alive. Consider the following reasons why biographies written by people who did not personally know the subjects may be more reliable. The biographers are not writing from memory. They must research their subjects and verify facts from more than one source. The biographers, like historians, do not need to protect the image of the subject or the other people in the subject’s life.
