List of Famous Autobiographies and Their Authors – Static GK & General Awareness for UPSC, SSC, IBPS & Banking Exams with Memory Tricks

Introduction

An autobiography is a self-written account of a person's own life, where the author narrates their own experiences, struggles, achievements, and ideologies in their own voice. Unlike a biography — which is written about a person by someone else — an autobiography offers a first-person, insider's perspective. Famous autobiographies such as "My Experiments with Truth" by Mahatma Gandhi, "Wings of Fire" by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela, "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank, "Playing It My Way" by Sachin Tendulkar, and "Unbreakable" by Mary Kom are not just literary works — they are powerful sources of inspiration and a regular feature in competitive exam question papers.

Questions on famous autobiographies and their authors appear repeatedly in UPSC Prelims, SSC CGL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO/Clerk, RRB NTPC, RRB Group D, LIC AAO, NIACL, State PCS, MBA entrance exams (CAT, XAT, CMAT, IIFT), and Defence (CDS, NDA) exams. Questions are typically asked in formats like "Who is the author of [book]?", "Which book is the autobiography of [personality]?", or "Match the autobiography with its author". This makes the topic one of the highest-yield areas in the Books and Authors / Static GK section. For a wider study of related topics, you can browse the Static GK section on Jobsme.in.

The topic also overlaps with current affairs because new autobiographies and memoirs are released every month by sportspersons, politicians, judges, and authors — and these become hot favourites for exam setters in the very next exam cycle. Keeping track of both classic autobiographies and recent releases is therefore essential for serious aspirants.

Core Concepts: What is an Autobiography and Why it Matters for Exams

An autobiography differs from related forms in important ways. Knowing the difference helps you eliminate wrong options in objective questions.

• Autobiography: Written by the person themselves about their own life. Example: "Wings of Fire" by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
• Biography: Written by someone else about the person's life. Example: "Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi" by Katherine Frank is a biography, not an autobiography.
• Memoir: A subset of autobiographical writing focused on specific events, periods, or themes rather than the full life. Example: "Knife" by Salman Rushdie is a memoir on his attempted murder.
• Diary / Journal: Day-by-day personal record, often published as autobiographical writing. Example: "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank.
• Autobiographical Essay: A short personal essay that draws on the author's life and beliefs. Example: "Why I Am an Atheist" by Bhagat Singh.

Why Autobiographies are Important for Competitive Exams

• They form a standard part of the Books and Authors sub-section of Static GK.
• Recently released autobiographies regularly appear in monthly current affairs digests.
• MBA entrance exams (CAT, XAT, CMAT, IIFT, SNAP) repeatedly use them in GK and WAT/PI sections.
• Banking and Insurance exams pair them with awards (Padma Shri, Bharat Ratna, Khel Ratna) and famous personalities.
• Defence exams (CDS, NDA, AFCAT) link them with military leaders and freedom fighters.

Famous Autobiographies of Presidents and Prime Ministers

This category is one of the most frequently tested. The following table lists the most exam-relevant autobiographies of Presidents and Prime Ministers of India and the world.

Autobiographies of Famous Politicians

Beyond Presidents and Prime Ministers, several other major politicians have written autobiographies that are routinely asked in exams.

Autobiographies of Historical Figures, Scientists and Philosophers

Autobiographies of historical leaders, scientists, philosophers, and Mughal emperors are a high-frequency area in both UPSC and Banking exams.

Autobiographies of Judges, Jurists and Civil Servants

This is a niche but recurring section especially for Banking, RBI, and UPSC Prelims questions on legal personalities and economists.

Autobiographies of Activists, Reformers and Freedom Fighters

Activist autobiographies often double as political and social commentary, making them important for both Static GK and essay-writing in Mains.

Autobiographies of Indian Sports Personalities

Sports autobiographies are extremely popular and form a major part of the Books and Authors section in most exams. Cricket dominates, but boxing, athletics, shooting, badminton, chess, and tennis are also well-represented.

Autobiographies of International Sports Personalities

Autobiographies of Famous Writers and Authors

Autobiographies of Film Personalities

Recent and Notable Autobiographies (2023-2026)

Recently released autobiographies and memoirs are a current affairs staple. The following are the most relevant for upcoming exam cycles.

For more recent releases like these, you can refer to the Daily Current Affairs section on Jobsme.in.

Memory Tricks and Mnemonics

Trick 1: The "K-N-M-G" Indian President-PM Autobiography Pack

To remember the autobiographies of India's most-quoted Presidents and PMs, use "K-N-M-G":

• K → Kalam → Wings of Fire (1999).
• N → Nehru → An Autobiography: Toward Freedom (1936).
• M → Manmohan Singh → Changing India (2019).
• G → Gandhi → My Experiments with Truth (1927).

"Kalam flies, Nehru frees, Manmohan changes, Gandhi experiments."

Trick 2: "Long Walk + Wings + Mein Kampf" — The Three Most-Asked World Autobiographies

These three are the most repeated international autobiographies in Indian competitive exams:

• Long Walk to Freedom → Nelson Mandela (South Africa, 1994).
• Wings of Fire → A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (India, 1999).
• Mein Kampf → Adolf Hitler (Germany, 1925).

"Walk to freedom, fly with wings, fight with struggle."

Trick 3: The "Master, Hurricane, Sikh" Indian Sports Trio

For Indian sports autobiographies, group them by nickname:

• Master Blaster → Sachin Tendulkar → Playing It My Way.
• Little Master → Sunil Gavaskar → Sunny Days.
• Haryana Hurricane → Kapil Dev → Straight From The Heart.
• Flying Sikh → Milkha Singh → The Race of My Life.
• Payyoli Express → P.T. Usha → Golden Girl.

Trick 4: The "Daughter, Iron, Living" Female World Leader Pack

• Daughter of Destiny → Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan).
• Downing Street Years → Margaret Thatcher (UK, "Iron Lady").
• Living History → Hillary Clinton (USA).
• A Different Kind of Power → Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand).

"Four women, four nations, four power stories."

Trick 5: The "Story" Title Trap

Multiple autobiographies share the word "Story" in their titles. Don't get them mixed up:

• My Story → Kamala Das (Indian poet).
• My Story → Marilyn Monroe (American actress).
• The Greatest: My Own Story → Muhammad Ali (American boxer).
• Rafa: My Story → Rafael Nadal (Spanish tennis player).
• The Diary of a Young Girl → Anne Frank (Holocaust diarist — easy to confuse with "story" titles).

Trick 6: The "Truth" Cluster

Several Indian autobiographies use the word "Truth" in their titles:

• My Experiments with Truth → Mahatma Gandhi.
• Truth, Love and a Little Malice → Khushwant Singh.
• Undisputed Truth → Mike Tyson.

Trick 7: "Speed and Sport" Mnemonic for Foreign Sports Autobiographies

• Faster Than Lightning → Usain Bolt (Jamaican sprinter).
• Serve to Win → Novak Djokovic (Serbian tennis player).
• Open → Andre Agassi (American tennis player).
• Six Machine → Chris Gayle (West Indies cricketer).
• Standing My Ground → Matthew Hayden (Australian cricketer).

Trick 8: The "Hawking Trap" - Most Common Exam Mistake

This trick saves you from the single most common error in the Books and Authors section:

• "A Brief History of Time" (1988) → NOT an autobiography; it is a popular science book by Stephen Hawking.
• "My Brief History" (2013) → This is his actual autobiography.

Remember: "My" Brief History is "My" life — autobiography. "A" Brief History of Time is the science book.

Additional Notes

Frequently Confused Facts

• "My Story" by Kamala Das vs Marilyn Monroe: Same title, two different people. Kamala Das was the Indian poet; Marilyn Monroe was the American actress.
• "My Experiments with Truth": Gandhi's autobiography is written in Gujarati and translated to English by Mahadev Desai. Often confused with Gandhi's other books like "Hind Swaraj".
• Nehru's three major books: "An Autobiography: Toward Freedom" (1936) is the autobiography; "The Discovery of India" (1946) and "Glimpses of World History" (1934) are not autobiographies — they are works of history.
• Stephen Hawking books: "A Brief History of Time" (1988) is science; "My Brief History" (2013) is autobiography.
• "Long Walk to Freedom" vs "Freedom in Exile": Nelson Mandela wrote "Long Walk to Freedom"; the Dalai Lama wrote "Freedom in Exile". Both deal with freedom but the authors are different.
• "India Wins Freedom" vs "Toward Freedom": "India Wins Freedom" is by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad; "Toward Freedom" is the subtitle of Nehru's autobiography.
• "Sunny Days" vs "Playing It My Way": Both are by cricketers — Sunny Days is by Sunil Gavaskar; Playing It My Way is by Sachin Tendulkar.
• "Why I Am an Atheist" by Bhagat Singh: Technically an autobiographical essay, not a full-length autobiography. Exam questions often list it under autobiographies.

Repeating PYQ Patterns

• "Wings of Fire" by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — the single most asked autobiography across SSC CGL, IBPS PO, RRB NTPC, and CDS exams.
• "My Experiments with Truth" by Mahatma Gandhi — appears in UPSC Prelims, SSC, and Banking exams almost every year.
• "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela — frequent in IBPS, SSC, and UPSC Prelims.
• "Playing It My Way" by Sachin Tendulkar — common in CMAT, XAT, and IBPS exams.
• "Unbreakable" by Mary Kom and "Golden Girl" by P.T. Usha — pair-question favourites in women-centric SSC and Banking GA sets.
• Baburnama by Babur and Mein Kampf by Hitler — paired questions in UPSC, where Babur is identified as the "Prince of Autobiography".
• "I Am Malala" — extremely popular in current affairs and ethical reasoning sections.

Quick Insight

Autobiographies are not just an exam topic — they are at the centre of current affairs every month. Sportspersons release autobiographies during ICC tournaments, judges release them on retirement, politicians release them around elections, and Nobel laureates and Bharat Ratna awardees often release memoirs near anniversaries. For example, in 2024-25 alone, Bill Gates, Sakshi Malik, Syed Kirmani, Anupam Kher, Deepa Malik, Shikhar Dhawan, and Jacinda Ardern all released autobiographies — and every one of these is now exam material. You can stay updated via the Daily Current Affairs Quiz and the Banking Awareness section on Jobsme.in.

One-Liners for Quick Revision

• Mahatma Gandhi → The Story of My Experiments with Truth (1927) → Original in Gujarati, English translation by Mahadev Desai.
• A.P.J. Abdul Kalam → Wings of Fire (1999) → Co-written with Arun Tiwari; covers life till the 1990s.
• Jawaharlal Nehru → An Autobiography: Toward Freedom (1936) → Written largely from prison.
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad → Atmakatha (1946) → Written in Hindi at Bankipore Jail.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad → India Wins Freedom (1958) → Sealed portions released after 30 years.
• Inder Kumar Gujral → Matters of Discretion (2011) → Former PM and architect of the Gujral Doctrine.
• Dr. Manmohan Singh → Changing India (2019) → Five-volume collection of writings and speeches.
• Barack Obama → Dreams from My Father (1995) → First memoir of the 44th US President.
• Benazir Bhutto → Daughter of Destiny (1988) → First female PM of Pakistan.
• Margaret Thatcher → The Downing Street Years (1993) → Covers her 1979-1990 tenure.
• Thomas Jefferson → Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1790 (1821) → Third US President.
• Ronald Reagan → An American Life (1990) → 40th US President.
• Nelson Mandela → Long Walk to Freedom (1994) → Nobel Peace Prize 1993, Bharat Ratna 1990.
• Winston Churchill → Memoirs of the Second World War (six volumes, 1948-1953) → Nobel Prize for Literature 1953.
• Bill Clinton → My Life (2004) → 42nd US President.
• Hillary Rodham Clinton → Living History (2003) → Former US Secretary of State.
• Benito Mussolini → My Autobiography: With the Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism (1928) → Italian Fascist leader.
• L.K. Advani → My Country My Life (2008) → BJP veteran and former Deputy PM.
• Sharad Pawar → Life On My Terms (2015) → NCP founder.
• Arjun Singh → A Grain of Sand in the Hourglass of Time (2012) → Former Madhya Pradesh CM.
• J.B. Kripalani → My Times: An Autobiography (2004) → 1947 Congress President.
• Margaret Alva → Courage and Commitment (2016) → Former Governor of Rajasthan.
• K. Natwar Singh → One Life Is Not Enough (2014) → Former External Affairs Minister.
• Babur → Baburnama (16th century) → Founder of the Mughal Empire; written in Chagatai Turkic.
• Benjamin Franklin → The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1791) → Founding Father of USA.
• Adolf Hitler → Mein Kampf (1925) → Written from Landsberg Prison.
• Bertrand Russell → The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell (1967-1969, three volumes) → Nobel Laureate in Literature 1950.
• Charles Darwin → The Recollections of the Development of My Mind and Character (1887, posthumous) → Theory of Evolution.
• Albert Einstein → Autobiographical Notes (1949) → Nobel Laureate in Physics 1921.
• Stephen Hawking → My Brief History (2013) → His autobiography (not "A Brief History of Time").
• Dalai Lama → Freedom in Exile (1990) → Nobel Peace Prize 1989.
• Khushwant Singh → Truth, Love and a Little Malice (2002) → Famous Indian novelist and journalist.
• D. Subbarao → Who Moved My Interest Rate? (2016) → Former RBI Governor.
• Fali S. Nariman → Before Memory Fades (2010) and Beyond the Courtroom (2025) → Senior Supreme Court advocate.
• V.R. Krishna Iyer → Wandering in Many Worlds (2009) → Former Supreme Court Judge.
• B.V. Acharya → All From Memory (2014) → Former Advocate General of Karnataka.
• Anna Chandy → Atma Katha (1973) → First female judge in India.
• Malala Yousafzai → I Am Malala (2013) → Youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
• Bhagat Singh → Why I Am an Atheist (1930) → Autobiographical essay from Lahore Central Jail.
• Sita Ram Goel → How I Became a Hindu (1982) → Founder of Voice of India.
• Annie Besant → Annie Besant: An Autobiography (1893) → Founder of the Home Rule Movement.
• Sachin Tendulkar → Playing It My Way (2014) → Master Blaster; Bharat Ratna 2014.
• Sunil Gavaskar → Sunny Days (1976) → First batsman to 10,000 Test runs.
• Kapil Dev → Straight From The Heart (2004) → 1983 World Cup winning captain.
• Sourav Ganguly → A Century is Not Enough (2018) → Dada; former BCCI President.
• Yuvraj Singh → The Test of My Life (2013) → 2011 World Cup Player of the Tournament.
• Anil Kumble → Wide Angle (2011) → Took all 10 wickets in a Test innings vs Pakistan, 1999.
• Milkha Singh → The Race of My Life (2013) → Flying Sikh.
• P.T. Usha → Golden Girl (1987) → Payyoli Express.
• Mary Kom → Unbreakable (2013) → Magnificent Mary; six-time World Boxing Champion.
• Saina Nehwal → Playing to Win (2012) → First Indian female badminton Olympic medallist.
• Sania Mirza → Ace Against Odds (2016) → Former World No. 1 in doubles tennis.
• Abhinav Bindra → A Shot at History (2011) → First individual Olympic gold for India (2008).
• Viswanathan Anand → Mind Master (2019) → First Indian Grandmaster; five-time World Chess Champion.
• Deepa Malik → Bring It On (2025) → First Indian woman Paralympic medallist.
• Shikhar Dhawan → The One: Cricket, My Life and More (2025) → Former Indian opener "Gabbar".
• Sakshi Malik → Witness (2024) → First Indian female wrestler Olympic medallist.
• Syed Kirmani → Stumped: Life Behind and Beyond the Twenty-Two Yards (2024) → 1983 World Cup wicketkeeper.
• Muhammad Ali → The Greatest: My Own Story (1975) → Three-time World Heavyweight Champion.
• Andre Agassi → Open: An Autobiography (2009) → 8-time Grand Slam champion.
• Rafael Nadal → Rafa: My Story (2011) → 22-time Grand Slam champion.
• Novak Djokovic → Serve to Win (2013) → Most men's Grand Slam singles titles.
• Mike Tyson → Undisputed Truth (2013) → Youngest world heavyweight boxing champion.
• Usain Bolt → Faster Than Lightning (2013) → Jamaican sprinter; 8 Olympic golds.
• David Beckham → My World, My Side (2000) → English footballer.
• Shoaib Akhtar → Controversially Yours (2011) → Rawalpindi Express.
• Chris Gayle → Six Machine (2016) → West Indies T20 legend.
• Matthew Hayden → Standing My Ground (2011) → Australian Test opener.
• Ricky Ponting → Ponting: At the Close of Play (2013) → Former Australian captain.
• AB de Villiers → AB: The Autobiography (2016) → Mr 360 of cricket.
• Anne Frank → The Diary of a Young Girl (1947) → Holocaust diary.
• Kamala Das → My Story (1976) → Indian Malayalam-English poet.
• Leo Tolstoy → A Confession (My Confession) (1884) → Russian novelist.
• Oscar Wilde → De Profundis (1905) → Written from Reading Gaol.
• Maxim Gorky → My Childhood (1913) → Part of autobiographical trilogy.
• Agatha Christie → An Autobiography (1977) → Queen of Crime; published posthumously.
• Mark Twain → The Autobiography of Mark Twain (1907 partial) → Author of Tom Sawyer.
• Charlie Chaplin → My Autobiography (1964) → Silent film legend.
• Marilyn Monroe → My Story (1974) → Posthumous; American actress.
• Michael Jackson → Moonwalk (1988) → King of Pop.
• Akira Kurosawa → Something Like an Autobiography (1981) → Japanese filmmaker.
• Dilip Kumar → The Substance and the Shadow (2014) → Tragedy King of Hindi cinema.
• Shashi Kapoor → Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, The Star (2016) → Padma Bhushan recipient.
• Shatrughan Sinha → Anything But Khamosh (2016) → Veteran actor-politician.
• Anupam Kher → Different But No Less (2024) → Padma Bhushan recipient.
• Salman Rushdie → Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder (2024) → Memoir on the 2022 attack.
• Doris Kearns Goodwin → An Unfinished Love Story (2024) → Pulitzer Prize-winning historian.
• RuPaul → The House of Hidden Meanings (2024) → Emmy-winning American producer.
• Walela Nehanda → Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir (2024) → American author and activist.
• Barbra Streisand → My Name Is Barbra (2023) → EGOT-winning American performer.
• Bill Gates → Source Code: My Beginnings (2025) → Co-founder of Microsoft.
• Jacinda Ardern → A Different Kind of Power (2025) → Former PM of New Zealand.
• Bandaru Dattatraya → Janta Ki Kahani - Meri Aatamkatha (2025) → Former Governor of Haryana.
• Sudesh Dhankhar → Chunotiyan Mujhe Pasand Hai (2025) → Former Second Lady of India.

For more such exam-oriented Static GK lists, browse the Static GK section on Jobsme.in. To revise this list quickly, attempt the Static GK Quiz and stay updated with newly released books in the Daily Current Affairs page. For the latest exam alerts and recruitment notifications, visit Latest Government Jobs Notifications.