biography
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biography
The written account of a person's life, written by someone else.
Die neue Biographie über die Erfinderin enthüllt viele bisher unbekannte Details.
The new biography about the inventor reveals many previously unknown details.
'Biographie' (biography) is an international word that comes from Greek. 'Bio' means 'life' and 'Graphie' means 'writing' or 'description'. So it is literally a 'description of a life'.
Er liest gerne Biographien von berühmten Entdeckern.
He enjoys reading biographies of famous explorers.
A related word is 'die Autobiographie' (autobiography). The Greek prefix 'auto-' means 'self'. An autobiography is therefore a description of a life written by the person themselves.
In seiner Autobiographie erzählt der Musiker von seiner schweren Kindheit.
In his autobiography, the musician talks about his difficult childhood.
When talking about the subject of the biography, meaning the person whose life is being described, you use the preposition 'über' (about) with the accusative.
Ich habe eine spannende Biographie über Albert Einstein gelesen.
I read an exciting biography about Albert Einstein.
Besides the book, 'Biographie' (biography/life story) can also mean a person's path through life. You can often recognize this figurative meaning from adjectives like 'eine bewegte' (eventful), 'eine typische' (typical), or 'eine ungewöhnliche' (unusual) biography.
Ihre Biographie ist ein beeindruckendes Beispiel für Mut und Entschlossenheit.
Her life story is an impressive example of courage and determination.
résumé / life story
'Lebenslauf' and 'Biographie' can both describe a person's life. 'Lebenslauf' is very often used for a short, organized document, especially for job applications. The word can also generally mean the course of a life. A 'Biographie' is more of a narrated or written account of a life, often as a text or book about a person. The words can be confused because both mention important stages in life. When it is about a job application, 'Lebenslauf' fits. When someone tells or describes a person's life in detail, 'Biographie' fits better.
In der Biographie erfährt man viel über die Kindheit der Politikerin.
In the biography, you learn a lot about the politician's childhood.
Der Lebenslauf muss bei der Bewerbung klar und vollständig sein.
The résumé must be clear and complete for the job application.