A memoir (from French: mémoire: 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.

The nature of memoirs[link]

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.

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[link]

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kind of memoir refers to the idea in ancient Greece and Rome, that memoirs were like "memos," pieces of unfinished and unpublished writing which a writer might use as a memory aid to make a more finished document later on.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. Nineteenth-century examples include rambles in line with Gore Vidal's definition (see above) such as Henry David Thoreau's Walden or George Borrow's Lavengro.

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[link]

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.^[1] 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.^[2]

See also[link]

• Autobiography
• List of autobiographies
• Creative nonfiction
• Diary
• Fake memoirs
• Category:Memoirists

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.loc.gov/vets
2. ^ e.g., http://www.wickedlocal.com/scituate/news/x529239934/Library-offers-memoir-class

Look up memoir in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Charlotte Gainsbourg
Background information
Birth name	Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg
Born	(1971-07-21) 21 July 1971 (age 40) London, England, United Kingdom
Origin	Paris, France
Genres	French pop, folk rock, electro
Occupations	actress, singer
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Phonogram Records, Atlantic Records, Because Music, Vice Recordings

Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (born 21 July 1971) is an Anglo-French actress and singer. After releasing an album with her father at the age of fifteen, more than twenty years passed before she released three albums as an adult (5:55, IRM and Stage Whisper) 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 British actress Jane Birkin and French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.

Personal life[link]

Gainsbourg with her mother Jane Birkin in 2010

Gainsbourg was born in London to Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg^[1] 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 and Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil in Switzerland.

Gainsbourg's longtime partner is French-Israeli actor/director Yvan Attal,^[2] with whom she has three children: a son, Ben (born on 12 June 1997) and daughters Alice (born on 8 November 2002) and Joe (born on 16 July 2011).^[3][4]

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.^[5]

Career[link]

Acting[link]

Gainsbourg at the Venice Film Festival in 2007

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 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.^[6] Gainsbourg starred in the French/Australian production, The Tree, released in 2010, and in Lars von Trier's science fiction disaster film, Melancholia.^[7] She was on the jury for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012.^[8] May 2012 will see the premiere of Confession of a Child of the Century, where she will star alongside the British musician Pete Doherty.^[9]

Music[link]

Gainsbourg during the Air concert in Melkweg, Amsterdam on 27 March 2007.

Gainsbourg at Webster Hall, NYC, 25 April 2010

Gainsbourg made her musical debut with her father on the song "Lemon Incest" in 1984.^[10] 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,^[11] which was produced by Beck.^[12][13] One of the influential factors in the album's creative process was her time spent filming Antichrist.^[14] 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."^[15]

Her song "Heaven Can Wait" was chosen as the Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week on 2 March 2010.^[16]

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.^[17] and was used in the 2012 Teleflora Super Bowl advertisement featuring supermodel Adriana Lima.

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Charlotte Gainsbourg

• Official website
• Charlotte Gainsbourg at the Internet Movie Database
• Charlotte Gainsbourg Stage Whisper Album Track Lyrics
• Review of 5:55 on Subculture Magazine
• Interview with Jean-Paul Enthoven, L'Officiel, September 2001

David Bellavia
David Bellavia, Medal of Honor Nominee
Nickname	Bell
Born	(1975-11-10)November 10, 1975
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1999-2005
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Unit	2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Iraq War * Second Battle of Fallujah
Awards	Silver Star Bronze Star Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal

David Bellavia (born November 10, 1975) is an American 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.^[1] He has subsequently been involved with politics in Western New York State. Bellavia was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He attended Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New Hampshire and the University at Buffalo.^[2]

Military service[link]

Bellavia enlisted in the United States Army in July 1999. He deployed to Iraq after service in Kosovo.

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 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 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 insurgent by stabbing him in the collarbone with a Gerber pocketknife.^[3]

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.

After serving for six years, Bellavia left the service with the rank of Staff Sergeant in 2005.

Subsequent career[link]

Bellavia lives in Batavia, New York^[3] and is Vice Chairman of Vets for Freedom. He attended the 2006 State of the Union address as an honored guest.

In 2007, Bellavia published a memoir, House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, co-written with John R. Bruning.^[4] In September 2010 the book was chosen as one of the top five best Iraq War memoirs by journalist Thomas Ricks (author of Fiasco).^[5] In 2012 Bellavia signed an agreement with 2012 Oscar-winning producer Rich Middlemas to make his memoir into a major motion picture, due out in 2014. ^[6]

Since leaving the U.S. Army, Bellavia has twice run for congress in New York's 26th congressional district.

In 2008, he ran in the Republican primary to succeed retiring representative Tom Reynolds. Bellavia dropped out of the race before the Republican Party ballot was finalized and endorsed Republican Chris Lee, who went on to win the seat.

When Lee resigned from office in 2011, Bellavia again tried for the seat. State party officials endorsed State Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, so Bellavia launched an unsuccessful third-party bid, forming the "Federalist Party of New York".^[7] The New York State Tea Party announced their displeasure with the Republican party's choice of Corwin, and hinted that they might back Bellavia's run,^[8] but the ruling of State Board of Elections that Bellavia's petition to be placed on the ballot was deficient ended his 2011 run. Bellavia is a candidate in the 2012 GOP primary for the 27th Congressional District. ^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

• David Bellavia, official website
• Silver Star citation