The University of Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Review of The Faculty of Theology

Abstract

Intense discussions continue among Western historians about whether biography is a type of history. The main point of departure for those who argue that biography is a type of writing that belongs to literature, not history, is the presence of praise and satire in biographies. Some others argued that the biographies are not types of history on the grounds that “individuals have no history”. Some others assert the biographies are not types of history on the grounds that “individuals have no history”. In Islamic historiography, however, such a debate has not taken place. Because, from the very beginning, biographical studies have been considered as a sub-branch of history and even history itself. In this study, we will deal with the issues such as whether biography is a field of history, its relation to history, its place in historiography, which has been the subject of debate among historians for a long time, specific to biographies written by Stefan Zweig. We will focus on issues such as the perception of history, its interpretation and its transfer within the framework of biographies where Zweig deals mostly with historical figures. Thus, it will be possible to gain a serious idea about the extent to which the debate among historians on whether biography writing is a type of history corresponds in practice or in which category the biography should be evaluated.