It is so sad that /lit/ would rather discuss philosophy in a pseudo-intellectual fashion or fawn over genre fiction than actually participate in the exchange of books worth reading.

>>7848386
hemmingway*

Here's some of my favourite autobiographies, anon. Hope you're interested in filmmaking and jazz music:

Akira Kurosawa's Something Like An Autobiography: Kurosawa personally delves into his early life, how he found his way into the Japanese filmmaking industry, struggles and benefits of filmmaking, loss within the family and early silent-era filmmaking (there's actually a viewing list of silent films he viewed when he was young that he recommended: being a silent film enthusiast myself, he saw a lot of wonderful works). He writes with sensitivity, humour, charm and enthusiasm that it's hard not to like and admire Kurosawa, offering a lot of insight into his own early works (He doesn't delve into his later works, unfortunately). He was an outcast during his time in early education and struggled to make friends: he made a friend in one of his teachers and another kid who was a social outcast - his teacher taught art and it helped Kurosawa express himself more. Kurosawa and his school friend ended up working together in writing some of Kurosawa's earlier films, which their old art teacher eventually saw their filmmaking efforts and cried because he was happy these two struggling kids had succeeded. The book genuinely tugged at my heartstrings at times.

Miles Davis' The Autobiography: you don't have to like jazz music to appreciate this. Davis' has a very honest and blunt way of detailing his childhood; racial tensions; drug addiction (he struggled with heroin frequently in his life to the extent where he would pawn off the clothes of his close friends and sell his trumpet for his next fix, begging for money from his friends to get his trumpet out of the pawn shop); religion and the afterlife (how Davis looks at how his best friend Gil Evans after he died is endearing); the methods in which he recorded his most iconic albums; etc. This book offers a very insightful, endearing, biting, cynical and sometimes funny perspective into an iconic artist. Strongly recommend.

Charles Mingus' Beneath The Underdog: although I don't enjoy this one as much as Davis' autobiography, Mingus writes from the perspective of his conscience rather than himself, focusing on early childhood, his mental instability, pimping lifestyle (and a love triangle he found himself in), etc. Such an iconic jazz composer rarely delves into how he actually recorded his music (this disappointed me, honestly, especially knowing how aggressive Mingus was as a person), but nonetheless, the books is enjoyable, albeit maybe gratuitous in how Mingus explores sex. It's very explicit.

Notable recommendations:
Malcolm X's Autobiography
Lowside of the Road (a biography of Tom Waits)
Goerge Orwell's The Road To Wigan Pier

If any one has any recommendations, I'm happy to accept as I'm always looking for some new autobiographies/biographies. I tend to enjoy them and I feel the worthwhile autobiographies tend to get overlooked.

Boswell's Life of Johnson
Johnson's Life of the Poets
Nabokov's Speak, Memory
Wordsworth's The Prelude

The autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini is a blast.

>When certain decisions of the court were sent to me by those lawyers, and I perceived that my cause had been unjustly lost, I had recourse for my defense to a great dagger I carried; for I have always taken pleasure in keeping fine weapons. The first man I attacked was a plaintiff who had sued me; and one evening I wounded him in the legs and arms so severely, taking care, however, not to kill him, that I deprived him of the use of both his legs. Then I sought out the other fellow who had brought the suit, and used him also such wise that he dropped it.

>>7849157

This is 4chan. Lower your expectations. 50% of us don't even read

Plutarch's Lives
Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars
Autobiography of Ulysses S. Grant
Storm of Steel