it’s not objective history…

…it’s memory

This morning I listened to most of Mary Karr’s interview with Terry Gross on FRESH AIR. I was particularly struck by this line:

You know, this is my point of view. It’s not objective history. It’s memory, which is a – you know, a faulty form in terms of reportage, but which has the added advantage of showing my interior while something is happening. So hopefully a memoir shows lived experience, not surface reporting.

Mary Karr

Source: Mary Karr on Writing Memoirs