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On Memoir, Truth and 'Writing Well'

NPR

Published April 13, 2006 at 11:39 AM CDT

William Zinsser, author of the classic guide On Writing Well, talks to Michele Norris about the challenges of writing personal history. He says that since the 1990s, many memoirs have focused on victimhood, rather than forgiveness.

In May, HarperCollins will release the 30th-anniversary edition of On Writing Well, including a new chapter on memoir. The release comes in a tough year for the form, following revelations that author James Frey fabricated significant details in his best-selling personal history A Million Little Pieces.