When biographies become hagiographies

Hagiographies place an unfair burden on the person being idolised, if he is alive. 
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All of us are curious about others’ lives. This is, in fact, a curiosity about the human condition itself. When this curiosity is not channelled properly, it expresses itself through gossip that is voyeuristic and hurtful. When channelised nobly, it takes us to the classics of biographical literature.

Biographies are especially of value when they explore and shed light on the interiors of their protagonists. Outer life and its achievements are certainly important; but far more important are the storms and calms of inner life. We are, first of all, our emotional selves. Stories that connect with this aspect of our being tend to be the deepest and the most enriching.

Many biographies fall short of this expectation by degenerating into paeans of their protagonists. Such biographies, called hagiographies, diminish the human side of their protagonists and exaggerate their heroic side. As a result, they may appeal to hysterical fans and followers of the person being eulogised, but their relevance to the human heart becomes superficial.

Hagiographies also place an unfair burden on the person being idolised, if he is alive. The hero often becomes compelled to portray the persona that his hagiography projects. Hypocrisy and deceit then become his go-to places. He loses his freedom and the public who revere him become misled. This is the tragedy that ensues when the persona hijacks the person. Hagiographies disguised as biographies thus do a disservice both to the heroes whose paeans they sing and to the readers whose judgments they mislead. Hero-worship must not usurp the place of empathy. The former is the goal of propagandists and the latter, the goal of true biographical literature.

The human self is worthy of expression in all its nakedness. True heroes are never afraid of such a full expression. As Emerson wrote in his classic essay “Self-reliance”, “We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents. It may be safely trusted as proportionate and of good issues, so it be faithfully imparted.” One can only hope that such “faithfully imparted” life stories become more available.