Memoir

The term memoirs ( Pluraletantum; v. French memoire " written statement, memorandum " from the Latin memoria "memory" ) called memorabilia or records of self- experienced events.

In contrast to the autobiography, the memoirist its social role in the center of the display ( eg, politicians, and other staff). Describes the autobiography of the career of the not yet socialized people go memoirs from the established identity of its social role conscious individual. In this case, the memoirist, the story of his having become behind the representation of his time and his work in her back.

On the basis of the subjective character memoirs may only be used with caution as the source. Since they are usually written down long after the events depicted, errors, or at least unconscious deviations from reality are easily possible. Also deliberate misrepresentations of the author or the author's justification of his own actions or to discharge for misconduct occur, a well-known recent example are the memoirs of Albert Speer in which it claimed to have known nothing of the Holocaust and forced labor, although other sources indicate that he was well informed at least about key aspects.

In German memoirs are usually referred to as memories.