Biographies are true stories about real people and are usually non-fiction, but fiction can also be used to portray a person's life. A biography, which can be about people who are alive or dead, is an account of a person’s life written by themselves or by someone else.

Biographies are set within a real-life historical timeline with the unique social and political conditions that existed during the person’s life. Most of the time, biographies are about someone who is or was either popular or unpopular, and often are about politicians or celebrities and their life journey.

A biography could span a person’s lifetime, from birth to death, and include major events in his or her public and private life. Biographies may delve into a person’s psychology and explore their emotional, intellectual, and spiritual lives.