The encyclopedic autobiography and the features of the literary genre

This study is entitled: “The encyclopedic autobiography and the features of the literary genre”. The study provides a definition of autobiography, its types, motives, and the specific features of encyclopedic autobiography, through the analysis of autobiography “Fi Thilal Alhayat” [In the shades of life] by Professor Awad Al-Ghubary, that was published by Dar Al-Maaref, in 2024. This study aims to trace the author’s culture, sources, and reflection in the discourse language of the autobiography, from a discourse analysis perspective. The author managed to integrate his autobiography with other discourses reflecting cultural, historical, and social identity of the Egyptian community in a decade. He tackled the most important sources of Arab and Islamic culture within the various arts and knowledges. Therefore, this autobiography is characterized as encyclopedic.

The autobiography In the Shadows of Life represents the culmination of a rich journey through both professional and academic realms. It brings together human values alongside critical and philosophical insights, and—through the events and occurrences it recounts—it serves as a historical document chronicling many major events that shaped Egyptian society over several decades. The autobiography is structured chronologically, following the author’s life stages across seven chapters, all unified under the main title In the Shadows of Life.