These famous diary entries are incredibly valuable and offer insight and context for some of the most pivotal moments in history. Long before the days of podcasts or YouTube soliloquies, these diaries provided us with a window into the daily life of notable people.
Who was the first person to write a diary?
(Handwritten notes by Christopher Columbus on Marco Polo’s diary. Source – ) One of the earliest recorded travel journals was by the Venetian merchant and explorer, Marco Polo.
What is the purpose of a diary?
For most, a diary is a place of private introspection where one can transfer thoughts and feelings onto paper. In some cases, diaries are interesting documents that reveal a story of a certain time or place, like the diaries of Anne Frank and Samuel Pepys.
Did you have a diary when you were a kid?
Because life wasn’t easy when you were nine, either. Raise your hand if you had a diary at any point when you were a kid. *every single person raises hand* Yup, you had a diary at one point in your life, and you remember your younger self pouring out your guts into it, in long, eloquent prose, staining the pages with your teardrops.
Why do diaries always face outwards?
It’s very difficult to be truthful, other than on a day-to-day basis. So the best diaries face outwards. They’re not particularly concerned with themselves. Sylvia Plath, who was very concerned with herself, wrote incredibly boring diaries because they were trying to dramatise her life.
Why are diaries so pompous?
You could say that any form of writing is pompous, because you think someone else should read it. But the best diaries are humble, because they are looking at other people rather than themselves. You are seeing the world through their eyes.
Is there such a thing as a good war diary?
Wartime diaries are especially interesting in that minute-to-minute sense. Whereas when you’re writing with hindsight, everything is filtered somehow? Yes, it’s filtered and somehow boring. Hardly any autobiographies are good. Especially with politicians, there are no good autobiographies. Political diaries are a more sensible route.
