Writing after death

Lance_in_Shanghai · Aug 23, 2007

We all know that awards may be presented posthumously and even a writer's work may be published posthumously but would you say:

"Come Be My Light is that rare thing, a posthumous autobiography."

Is it correct to say an autobiography is posthumous or should we say it was published posthumously?

Sean D. Schaffer · Aug 23, 2007

Lance_in_Shanghai said:
We all know that awards may be presented posthumously and even a writer's work may be published posthumously but would you say:

"Come Be My Light is that rare thing, a posthumous autobiography."

Is it correct to say an autobiography is posthumous or should we say it was published posthumously?

I would probably side with 'published posthumously'. The term makes more sense, since an autobiography is by nature written by the person it focuses on.

The only way I could think it might be different in this case, would be for the individual in question to have written the notes but not actually the book, before his or her passing.

blacbird · Aug 23, 2007

I dunno. Robert Ludlum and V.C. Andrews continue to write novels long after their deaths. In the case of Ludlum, his posthumous writing has a good likelihood of being better than his prehumous stuff.

caw

Lyra Jean · Aug 23, 2007

Robert Ludlum is dead?

blacbird · Aug 24, 2007

As a doornail. Died March 12, 2001. His estate and publisher have since arranged with an anonymous ghost writer to flesh out partial work and sketchy outlines Ludlum left behind and publish them as new Ludlum novels.

caw

a_sharp · Aug 26, 2007

blacbird said:
I dunno. Robert Ludlum and V.C. Andrews continue to write novels long after their deaths. In the case of Ludlum, his posthumous writing has a good likelihood of being better than his prehumous stuff.

caw

And so true!

CatSlave · Aug 26, 2007

Sean D. Schaffer said:
The only way I could think it might be different in this case, would be for the individual in question to have written the notes but not actually the book, before his or her passing.

Another example is that of Gary Jennings, author of Aztec and The Journeyer, who died in 1999.
Wonderful books, by the way.

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

Aztec Blood (2002) : Cristo El Bastardo, a half-caste, sets out to discover the secret of his birth in the new Mexico.

Aztec Rage (2006) : Set in the early 19th century, it deals with the Mexican war of independence with Spain.

The last two books were written by Robert Gleason, Gary's former editor, and Junius Podrug, working from notes that Gary left.

benbradley · Aug 26, 2007

Lance_in_Shanghai said:
We all know that awards may be presented posthumously and even a writer's work may be published posthumously but would you say:

"Come Be My Light is that rare thing, a posthumous autobiography."

Is it correct to say an autobiography is posthumous or should we say it was published posthumously?

If someone is having a seance and communicating with a dead person who is telling the live person what to write in their bio, then it's a posthumous autobiography, meaning (to me) the author WROTE it after his death.

But I don't "believe in" those. I bet it's just a "regular" autobiography, published posthumously.

Jamesaritchie · Aug 27, 2007

auto

Lance_in_Shanghai said:
We all know that awards may be presented posthumously and even a writer's work may be published posthumously but would you say:

"Come Be My Light is that rare thing, a posthumous autobiography."

Is it correct to say an autobiography is posthumous or should we say it was published posthumously?

I don't have a problem with either. I think it's a good use of language.

Writing after death

Lance_in_Shanghai

Sean D. Schaffer

blacbird

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.

blacbird

a_sharp

Somebody give me an A

CatSlave

Mah tale iz draggin.

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

Jamesaritchie