Abstract:
For a long time the biography produced in Britain has constituted an international benchmark. It has become the model that has inspired the style and methodology of a large number of professionals from other countries. But it has also transcended its borders, as British biographers have successfully written the biographies of key figures from other nationalities. In these pages we shall briefly review the development of the genre from the eighteenth century to the present day, addressing issues such as: its internal fluctuations, some of its milestones and main authors, its relationship with the academic world, its institutionalization after the so called biographical turn, the cultural context in which it is rooted and, finally, some of the problems or challenges it has faced in recent years: among them its alleged crisis, the rivalry or coexistence with the new theories and perspectives of Life-Writing and its position in relation to new international focuses of biographical research and production.
Keywords:
Biography Great Britain; Life-Writing; Biography academic centres