Collaborative Autobiography: Reading the Genre as a Gateway to Alternative Narratives

Abstract

Literature is perceived as a platform for expressing emotions and lived experiences. It is considered to possess therapeutic powers for both the writer and the reader. The literary productions of significant personalities have paved their way into the canon of literature in the form of autobiographies but do not experience the deserved reverence. Collaborative autobiographies have developed as a unique method to put forth the life stories of marginalised personalities who mediate their narrations through a collaborator. The subject, as well as the genre, fall prey to the predicaments of minor literature and struggle for recognition. The universities have started introducing autobiographies into their syllabi, yet the efforts seem insufficient in registering alternative narratives. Thus the study seeks to analyse The Autobiography of a Sex Worker and Sampat Pal: The Warrior in a Pink Sari to understand the autobiographical practices, translations and their status in English studies in India.