A memoir (from French: ''mémoire''/ Latin: ''memoria'', meaning ''memory'', or ''reminiscence''), is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below. The author of a memoir may be referred to as a ''memoirist''. Examples of memoirs now considered "classic" include Henry David Thoreau's ''Walden'' or Harriet Jacobs' ''Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl''.

The nature of memoirs

Memoirs are structured differently from formal autobiographies which tend to encompass the writer's entire life span, focusing on the development of his or her personality. The chronological scope of a memoir is determined by the work's context and is therefore more focused and flexible than the traditional arc of birth to old age as found in an autobiography.

Memoirs tended to be written by politicians or people in court society, later joined by military leaders and businessmen, and often dealt exclusively with the writer's careers rather than their private life. Historically, memoirs have dealt with public matters, rather than personal. Many older memoirs contain little or no information about the writer, and are almost entirely concerned with other people. Modern expectations have changed this, even for heads of government. Like most autobiographies, memoirs are generally written from the first person point of view.

Gore Vidal, in his own memoir ''Palimpsest'', gave a personal definition: "a memoir is how one remembers one's own life, while an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, facts double-checked." It is more about what can be gleaned from a section of one's life than about the outcome of the life as a whole.

Humorist Will Rogers put it a little more pithily: "Memoirs means when you put down the good things you ought to have done and leave out the bad ones you did do."

Contemporary practices of writing memoirs for recreational, family or therapeutic purposes are sometimes referred to as ''legacy writing'' or ''personal history''. Such products may be assisted by professional or amateur genealogists, or by ghostwriters.

Types of memoir

The rhetor Libanius (ca. 314 – ca. 394) framed his life memoir as one of his orations, not the public kind, but the literary kind that would be read aloud in the privacy of one's study. This kind of memoir refers to the idea in ancient Greece and Rome, that memoirs were like "memos," pieces of unfinished and unpublished writing which a writer might use as a memory aid to make a more finished document later on.

In modern times, memoirs have often been written by politicians or military leaders as a way to record and publish their own account of their public exploits.

Some contemporary women writers have combined the memoir form with historical non-fiction writing. Examples include Jung Chang's ''Wild Swans'', Heda Margolius Kovaly's ''Under a Cruel Star'' and Helen Epstein's ''Where She Came From''.

Other professional contemporary writers such as David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs have specialized in writing amusing essays in the form of memoirs. To some extent this is an extension of the tradition of newspaper columnists' regular accounts of their lives. (Cf. the work of James Thurber which often has a strong memoir-like content).

Memoir collection projects

With the expressed interest of preserving history through the eyes of those who lived it, there are many organizations that work with potential memoirists to bring their work to fruition. The Veterans History Project, for example, compiles the memoirs of those who have served in a branch of the US Military - especially those who have seen active combat. Many public libraries give Memoir Writing classes that are geared towards senior citizens and some autobiographical service companies periodically publish memoir collections featuring clients that participated at no cost.

See also

Autobiography

List of autobiographies

Creative nonfiction

Diary

Fake memoirs

:Category:Memoirists

References

Category:Literature by genre

ar:مذكرات bg:Мемоари cs:Paměti de:Memoiren et:Memuaarid el:Απομνημονεύματα es:Memorias eo:Memoroj fr:Mémoires ko:회고록 hr:Memoari it:Memorie (genere letterario) he:ספר זיכרונות lt:Atsiminimai mk:Мемоар nl:Memoires ja:回想録 pl:Pamiętnik pt:Memórias ru:Мемуары sq:Kujtime simple:Memoir sk:Memoáre sr:Мемоари sh:Memoari tl:Talang-gunita tg:Ёддоштҳо tr:Anı uk:Мемуари vi:Hồi ký wa:Live di sovnances zh-yue:回憶錄 zh:回忆录

Coordinates	52°58′″N36°04′″N
name	Charlotte Gainsbourg
background	solo_singer
birth name	Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg
born	July 21, 1971London, UK
origin	Paris, France
genre	French pop
occupation	actress, singer-songwriter
years active	1986–present
label	Phonogram Records, Atlantic Records, Because Music, Vice Recordings
parents	Serge Gainsbourg (father)Jane Birkin (mother) }}

Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (born 21 July 1971) is an English-French actress and singer-songwriter. After releasing an album with her father at the age of fifteen, more than twenty years passed before she released two albums as an adult (''5:55'' and ''IRM'') to commercial and critical success. Gainsbourg has also appeared in many films, including several directed by Lars von Trier, and has received both a César Award and the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.

Personal life

Gainsbourg was born in London to Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg and was raised in Paris. Her maternal grandmother was actress Judy Campbell and her uncle is the screenwriter Andrew Birkin, who directed her in ''The Cement Garden''. She attended École Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel in Paris.

Gainsbourg's longtime partner is French-Israeli actor/director Yvan Attal, with whom she has three children, Ben (born on 12 June 1997), Alice (born on 8 November 2002) and Joe (born on 16 July 2011).

On 5 September 2007, Gainsbourg was rushed to a Paris hospital where she underwent surgery for a cerebral hemorrhage. She had been experiencing headaches since a minor waterskiing accident in the United States several weeks prior.

Career

Acting

Gainsbourg made her motion picture debut playing Catherine Deneuve's daughter in the film ''Paroles et musique'' (1984). In 1986, Gainsbourg won a César Award for "Most Promising Actress" for ''L'effrontée'', and, in 2000, she won "Best Supporting Actress" for the film ''La Bûche''.

In 1993, Gainsbourg made her English speaking debut in ''The Cement Garden'', written and directed by her uncle, Andrew Birkin. She made her stage debut in 1994 in David Mamet's ''Oleanna'' at the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse. In 1996, Gainsbourg starred as the title character in ''Jane Eyre'', a film adaption of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel.

In 2006, Gainsbourg appeared alongside Gael García Bernal in Michel Gondry's ''La Science des rêves'' (''The Science of Sleep''). In 2007, she appeared as Claire in the Todd Haynes-directed Bob Dylan biopic ''I'm Not There'', also contributing a cover of the Dylan song "Just Like a Woman" to the film soundtrack.

In 2009, she won the award for Best Actress at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival for the film ''Antichrist''.

Gainsbourg has finished filming an French/Australian production, ''The Tree'' scheduled for a 2010 release. Her next project will be the Lars von Trier science fiction disaster film, ''Melancholia''. In late December she will begin filming an adaptation of Alfred de Musset's ''La Confession d'un Enfant du Siècle''. She will star alongside the British musician Pete Doherty.

Music

Gainsbourg made her musical debut with her father on the song "Lemon Incest" in 1984. Two years later, she released her debut album ''Charlotte for Ever'', which was produced by her father.

In 2000, Gainsbourg was featured on the Madonna album ''Music'' on the track "What It Feels Like For A Girl". There is a lengthy spoken intro by Gainsbourg, taken from the film ''The Cement Garden'', which inspired the title of the song. The track was further remixed for the single version of this song in 2001, with Gainsbourg's ''The Cement Garden'' speech repeated during the song.

In 2004, she sang a duet with French pop star Étienne Daho on his single "If".

In 2006, Gainsbourg released her second album ''5:55'' to critical acclaim and commercial success, reaching the top spot on the French charts and achieving platinum status in the country. In the UK, the album was moderately successful, reaching #78 (The single "The Songs That We Sing" only made #129).

In late 2009, Gainsbourg released her third studio album, ''IRM'', which was produced by Beck. One of the influential factors in the album's creative process was her time spent filming ''Antichrist''. Gainsbourg's head injury in 2007 influenced the title of the album "IRM", an abbreviation for the French translation of "magnetic resonance imaging". While receiving a brain scan, she began to think about music. "When I was inside that machine," she said, "it was an escape to think about music. It's rhythm. It was very chaotic."

Her song "Heaven Can Wait" was chosen as the Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week on 2 March 2010.

Her song "Trick Pony" appeared at the beginning of the ''Grey's Anatomy'' episode "Perfect Little Accident" (Season 6, Episode 16 / airdate: 25 February 2010). "Trick Pony" is also featured in the FIFA 11 soundtrack.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1984	''Paroles et musique''	Charlotte Marker
	''La tentation d'Isabelle''	L'enfant
''L'Effrontée''	Charlotte Castang	César Award for Most Promising Actress
1986		Charlotte	Serge Gainsbourg film
		Lucy	aka ''Kung-fu master!''
''Jane B. par Agnès V.''	La fille de J.	Agnès Varda film
''The Little Thief''	Janine Castang	aka ''La petite voleuse''
1990		Matilda	Paolo and Vittorio Taviani film
	''Merci la vie''	Camille Pelleveau
''Aux yeux du monde''	Juliette Mangin	Éric Rochant film
1992	''Amoureuse''	Marie	aka ''The Lover''
1993		Julie	Andrew Birkin film
1994	''Grosse Fatigue''	Herself	aka ''Dead Tired''
		Jane Eyre	Franco Zeffirelli film
''Anna Oz''	Anna Oz	Éric Rochant film
	Marie	Marion Vernoux film
	''The Intruder''	Catherine Girard
''La Bûche''	Milla Robin	aka ''Season's Beatings''
2000	''Passionnément''	Alice Almeida	aka ''Passionately''
	''Félix et Lola''	Lola	Patrice Leconte film
''My Wife Is an Actress''	Charlotte	aka ''Ma Femme est une actrice''
2002	''La merveilleuse odyssée de l'idiot Toboggan ''	Voice
2003	''21 Grams''	Mary Rivers
	''Une star internationale''	Herself	Short film
''Ils Se Marièrent et Eurent Beaucoup d'Enfants''	Gabrielle	aka ''...And They Lived Happily Ever After''
	''L'un reste, l'autre part''	Judith	aka ''One Stays, the Other Leaves''
	Bénédicte Getty	Dominik Moll film
	''Nuovomondo''	Lucy Reed	aka ''The Golden Door''
''Prête-moi ta main''	Emma	aka ''I Do/Rent a Wife''
''La Science des rêves''	Stéphanie	aka ''The Science of Sleep''
2007	''I'm Not There''	Claire	Todd Haynes film
2008	''The City of Your Final Destination''	Arden Langdon
		She	Cannes Film Festival Best Actress AwardBodil Award for Best ActressScream Award Nomination for Best ActressChlotrudis Award Nomination for Best ActressRobert Festival Nomination for Best ActressSant Jordi Award Winner for Best Foreign Actress
''Persécution''	Sonia	Patrice Chéreau film
2010		Dawn	Julie Bertuccelli film
2011		Claire	Lars von Trier film.

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
	''Nuremberg''	Marie Claude Vaillant-Couturier	Miniseries
''Les Misérables''	Fantine	Miniseries

Discography

''Charlotte for Ever'' (1986)

''5:55'' (2006)

''IRM'' (2009)

''Stage Whisper'' (2011)

References

External links

Official website

Review of ''5:55'' on Subculture Magazine

Interview with Jean-Paul Enthoven, ''L'Officiel'', September 2001

Fashion Meets Music: Charlotte Gainsbourg

Category:1971 births Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:British female singers Category:César Award winners Category:English emigrants to France Category:English-language singers Category:English people of French descent Category:French actors Category:French female singers Category:French-language singers Category:French people of English descent Category:French people of Jewish descent Category:French people of Russian descent Category:Living people Category:Actors from London Category:Actors from Paris

ca:Charlotte Gainsbourg cs:Charlotte Gainsbourg da:Charlotte Gainsbourg de:Charlotte Gainsbourg es:Charlotte Gainsbourg eo:Charlotte Gainsbourg fr:Charlotte Gainsbourg ko:샤를로뜨 갱스부르 it:Charlotte Gainsbourg he:שרלוט גינסבורג nl:Charlotte Gainsbourg ja:シャルロット・ゲンズブール oc:Charlotte Gainsbourg pms:Charlotte Gainsbourg pl:Charlotte Gainsbourg pt:Charlotte Gainsbourg ru:Генсбур, Шарлотта fi:Charlotte Gainsbourg sv:Charlotte Gainsbourg uk:Шарлотта Генсбур vi:Charlotte Gainsbourg zh:夏洛特·甘斯柏格

Coordinates	52°58′″N36°04′″N
Name	David Bellavia
Birth date	November 10, 1975
Placeofburial label	Place of burial
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1999-2005
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Unit	2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Battles	Iraq War
Awards	Silver StarBronze StarArmy Commendation MedalArmy Achievement Medal
Laterwork	}}

David Bellavia (born November 10, 1975) is an Iraq War veteran who was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the Second Battle of Fallujah. Bellavia has also received the Bronze Star, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals and the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross. He has also been nominated for the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross. In 2005, Bellavia was inducted into the New York Veterans' Hall of Fame.

He enlisted in the United States Army in July 1999 and served for six years, leaving service with the rank of Staff Sergeant.

The actions for which Bellavia earned a Silver Star took place on his 29th birthday. As a member of Company A, Task Force 2-2, 1st Infantry Division, his platoon was assigned during Operation Phantom Fury to clear a block of twelve buildings from which Hezbollah insurgents were firing on U.S. troops. The platoon began searching house-to-house. At the tenth house, Bellavia fatally shot an insurgent preparing to load a rocket-propelled grenade. A second Hezbollah insurgent fired at him, and Bellavia wounded him in the shoulder. When Staff Sergeant Bellavia entered a bedroom, the wounded insurgent followed, forcing Bellavia to kill him. When another insurgent began firing from upstairs, Bellavia returned fire and killed him. A fourth insurgent, then, jumped out of a closet in the bedroom, yelling and firing his weapon as he leaped over a bed trying to reach Bellavia. The insurgent tripped and Bellavia wounded him. Bellavia chased the insurgent when he ran upstairs. He followed the wounded insurgent's bloody footprints to a room on the left and threw in a fragmentation grenade. Upon entering the room, Bellavia discovered it was filled with propane tanks and plastic explosives. He did not fire his weapon for fear of setting off an explosion and instead, then engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the insurgent, which lead to Bellavia killing the Hezbollah insurgent by stabbing him in the collarbone with a Gerber pocketknife.

His actions in Fallujah were first documented in the November 22, 2004 ''Time'' magazine cover story" "Into the Hot Zone" by journalist Michael Ware who was attached with Bellavia's unit during the fight. Bellavia later wrote a book about it in his memoir ''House to House: An Epic Memoir of War'', co-written with John R. Bruning. In September 2010 it was chosen as one of the top five best Iraq War memoirs by journalist Thomas Ricks (author of ''Fiasco'').

Bellavia lives in Batavia, New York and is Vice Chairman of Vets for Freedom.

He attended the 2006 State of the Union address as an honored guest.

Campaign for Congress

Bellavia was a Republican candidate for congress in New York's 26th congressional district in 2008. The district had come open when incument Rep. Tom Reynolds announced his retirement. The nomination however ultimately went to future Rep. Chris Lee. On February 9, 2011 Lee suddenly and surprisingly resigned from office when internet photos and emails revealed his attempts to have an affair with another woman although he is married. Under New York rules the local county party chairmen may chose the candidates for the special election to replace Rep. Lee. The Republican officials chose Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, who also garnered the support of The Conservative Party of New York. Bellavia responded on February 24, 2011 by forming a committee to support a run for Congress as a third party candidate in the special election. It appears likely that he will have the official support of the New York Tea Party for that run. Bellavia submitted approximately 3,600 signatures for the seat on the "Federalist Party" line (some of which were invalid); the petitions were nonetheless rejected due to his failing to sign an affidavit on time.

References

External links

David Bellavia, official website

Silver Star citation

Category:United States Army soldiers Category:American military personnel of the Iraq War Category:Recipients of the Silver Star Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:New York Republicans

Coordinates	52°58′″N36°04′″N
name	Bobby Lee
birth date	September 17, 1972
birth place	San Diego, California, U.S.
occupation	Actor/Comedian
years active	1999–present }}

Bobby Lee (born September 17, 1972) is an American actor and comedian who is best known for his membership in the recurring cast of the live comedy series ''MADtv'' from 2001 to 2009 and for his roles in the films ''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' and ''Pineapple Express''.

Early career and family life

Lee, the oldest of two sons, was born in San Diego, California to Jeanie and Robert Lee. Lee attended Poway High School in Poway, California. He is Korean American. His parents owned clothing stores in both Escondido and Encinitas, California. At 18 years of age Lee moved out of his parents' home and took jobs in restaurants and coffee shops in the San Diego area, while also attending Palomar College for a brief period. In 1994 the coffee shop for which he was working closed. “I just went next door to get a job,” he said, “which was The Comedy Store in San Diego” (also known as the La Jolla Comedy Store). After a few months of working odd jobs at the club he decided to try stand-up during one of their amateur nights. Within a year of doing regular comedy sets he got offers to open for both Pauly Shore and Carlos Mencia. Lee also went on to work regularly at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, a comedy club owned by Pauly Shore's mother Mitzi.

Lee has admitted in several interviews that his parents had hoped he would continue on with the family business and were less-than supportive of his comedic pursuits at first. During a podcast interview conducted by fellow actor and comedian Joe Rogan on Feb 1, 2011, Lee stated that during the first few years he did stand-up his parents barely spoke to him, however after his appearance on the ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' his father called him and apologized for not supporting his comedy career.

Lee's parents currently live in Phoenix, Arizona. Lee is known to have included his family in some of his work: His younger brother has appeared in several non-speaking roles on ''MADtv'' and his entire family has appeared in a skit on the show. Lee also pitched a sitcom to Comedy Central in 2007 about a Korean family which was to star his very own family.

''MADtv''

In 2001, Lee joined the cast of ''MADtv'', making him the show's first cast member of Asian descent. Some of Lee's recurring characters included:

Kim Jong-il as the host of the imaginary ''Kim Jong-il Show''

Journalist Connie Chung

Bae Sung the hapless interpreter

Tank, an Asian-American "Street Tuner" character in the style of the film ''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift''

Xing Lao "Johnny" Gan, host of ''Many Shows! With Johnny Gan and Pongo''

"The Blind Kung-fu Master"

Dr. Poon Ji-Sum, a character on the Korean soap opera parody ''Taedo-Attitudes and Feelings, Both Desirable and Sometimes Secretive''

Haidiki "The Average Asian"

John McCain

Yamanashi, a character appearing in the skit, "Coach Hines".

Lee remained with the cast until the series' cancellation in 2009.

Other projects and appearances

Lee appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' on Apr 26, 2002 He played a delivery boy in the 2003 mockumentary ''Pauly Shore Is Dead''. Lee also played the part of Kenneth Park in the 2004 film ''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' and in the 2011 film A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.

In 2005, Lee and fellow Korean American comics Steve Byrne, Ken Jeong and Kevin Shea starred in the stand-up comedy tour and accompanying film titled ''Kims of Comedy''—a Korean-American version of the touring act and film ''Kings of Comedy''. That same year he appeared on ''Mind of Mencia'' as an Asian CSI agent in the episode titled "Episode #1.6" which aired Aug 10, as well as playing a Korean bookie named Sung in the episode of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' titled "The Korean Bookie" which aired on Nov 27.

Lee appeared on ''Mind of Mencia'' once again in 2006 in role a gay pirate in an episode titled "Stereotype Olympics" which aired Jul 23. He also appeared in the 2007 film Pineapple Express as an Asian drug-gangster named Bobby.

Lee appeared in the 2009 music video for Eminem's single "We Made You", playing both the character of Sulu from ''Star Trek'' as well as an Inuit. That same year he appeared on The League in an episode titled "The Usual Bet".

In 2010 he became a frequent round table panelist on the late night comedy talk show ''Chelsea Lately'', and also appeared in music video for "2 Different Tears", a single by South Korean girl group, the Wonder Girls.

In 2011, he was featured in Taio Cruz' music video for "Hangover".

In January 2012, he started work on his own YouTube channel.

References

External links

Official MADtv Website

Category:1972 births Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American television actors Category:Actors from California Category:Living people Category:People from San Diego, California Category:American actors of Korean descent

es:Bobby Lee

Coordinates	52°58′″N36°04′″N
Name	Dani Shapiro
Title	Dani Shapiro
Birth date	April 10, 1962
Birth place	New York City, NY, U.S.
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	American
Spouse	Michael Maren
Children	1 }}

Daneile Joyce "Dani" Shapiro is the author of five novels and the best-selling memoirs ''Slow Motion'' and ''Devotion''. She has also written for magazines such as ''The New Yorker'', The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and ''ELLE''.

Shapiro went to high school at the Pingry School, a prep school in New Jersey. She attended Sarah Lawrence College, where she was influenced by having Grace Paley as a teacher. Shapiro has also written for the screen, having adapted Oscar Wilde's ''The Happy Prince'' for HBO in 1999. In 2000, she co-wrote a screenplay based on her memoir, ''Slow Motion'', with her husband, journalist and screenwriter Michael Maren. She has been a professor of creative writing at Wesleyan University and an instructor at the New School and Columbia University.

In a 2011 interview with the ''Jewish Ledger'', Shapiro described being raised in a family with an Orthodox Jewish father and a mother from South Jersey who had grown up in a non-Orthodox home. Her parents agreed to observe Judaism and Shapiro attended a Solomon Schechter Jewish day school through 6th grade. After moving from Connecticut to New York City in her 40s, Shapiro recounts her "vestigial feeling" connecting her to Judaism were reawakened and that she "could no more reject my Judaism than reject being female, or being a mother, or a wife, or a writer, or any of the things that most define me".

Books

''Playing with Fire'' (1990)

''Fugitive Blue'' (1993)

''Picturing the Wreck'' (1996)

''Slow Motion: A True Story'' (1998)

''Family History'' (2003)

''Black & White'' (2007)

''Devotion'' (2010)

References

External links

Official Website

Internet Movie Database Bio

Litchfield County Writers Project

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:American screenwriters Category:Jewish American writers Category:Pingry School alumni Category:Wesleyan University faculty Category:Women novelists Category:Women screenwriters