Autobiography as intellectual life writing

I am often asked why a medievalist like me, a specialist in such remote subjects as the anthropological bases of the rituals of monarchy, has devoted himself so passionately to the field of modern historians' autobiographies.As is the case with many of us, the choice of this subject came about through a mixture of predetermination and serendipity.1 My mysterious connection with the autobiographical genre came about in this way: one day, a colleague recommended that I read Georges Duby's academic autobiography, History Continues (1991). 2 I found the idea intriguing, as Duby had inspired my own career as a medievalist-and thousands of my colleagues around the world.To me, Duby had always been like the Picasso of medievalism, always seeking new paths, opening new avenues, inspiring younger scholars and trying to bring history into the public sphere.3