A collection of have-done lists

I’m very fond of lists. There is a basic honesty in lists. Whereas narratives are rhetorical devices to (gently) coax readers into the memoirist’s interpretation of events, lists present the bare facts for readers to construct their own interpretations.

I’ve therefore given some thought to the possibility of include lists in my full memoir. Think of a to-do list, but instead of being a list of intended actions, a memoir in lists is about what I did and thought in the past. A collection of have-done and have-thought lists.

Writing lives in list form is not as peculiar as it may sound. When writing resumés, curriculum vitae or publication lists, we are engaged in a rudimentary kind of autobiographical writing in list format.

Actually, the term ‘listography‘ has been coined (and trademarked) for an autobiography that is made up entirely of lists of factual events from one’s life. The publisher of the Listography book series currently lists 12 volumes (2007 –).

On these subpages I will gather examples of lists of different aspects of my life.

Some lists

curriculum vitae
publication lists
list of residential addresses, 1946 –

Lists I’d like to write

→ all people I can remember having met or corresponded with
→ all numbers in my private phone books
→ people I’ve admired or liked or been influenced by
→ cities and countries I’ve visited
→ birds I’ve seen
→ the best moments in my life
→ past lovers (anonymous, of course)
→ books that really made an impression
→ favourite classes and teaching moments
→ best talks and lectures
and so forth …