In all likelihood, people have been telling creative stories about themselves since the dawn of time. There are of course no written records from these early days of humanity, but I think we can safely say that this kind of storytelling has been with us for a long while.

Both the essay and the memoir (two forms of creative nonfiction that we’ll discuss in depth in the following modules) appeared among the writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Because literacy was rare, reading and writing were restricted to the very highest level of society, including great thinkers, philosophers, rulers, statesmen, aristocrats, priests, and military leaders. If a person became known as a writer they were most likely from one of these social groups.

Wealthy women were literate, and some, like Cleopatra, could read and write in many languages. But because only the rich, well-connected, or influential were writers, the memoirs and essays that have been passed down to us from this time period were composed by people who were celebrities in their day. Great commanders, emperors, holy men, teachers, and historians wrote essays and memoirs about their accomplishments. Notable early writers include Seneca of Rome and Plutarch of Greece.

Creative nonfiction existed outside of the Western world too. In Japan, authors like Sei Shonagon and Kenko published works of memoirs. In China, Ouyang Xiu composed essays and poems. Movable type printing was invented during the 11th century in northern China and allowed for the expansion of printed materials like these early works of creative nonfiction throughout China, Japan, and Korea. The tradition flourished and created a culture that valued memoir writing, essays, and other forms of personal writing such as the diary.

Painting of Sei Shonagon, artist unknown

In the West, creative nonfiction traditions were lost, like many things, after the collapse of the Roman world. During the Middle Ages, works for fantasy, fiction, poetry, and religions were more common than nonfiction. It wasn’t until a French nobleman named Michel de Montaigne discovered the essays of ancient writers in his large library that the genre began to evolve and modernize.

Montaigne engaged these old works in discussion, infusing his essays with research, as well as his own personal stories. Although his writings were published over 500 years ago, the reader is able to get a sense of his personality, his sense of humor, and his eager, curious mind.

Painting of Michel de Montaigne, artist unknown

Montaigne’s style of essay writing became a favored form during the Enlightenment. These Enlightenment essays mixed philosophical debates with individual perspectives and were often influenced by classical texts and concepts.

Because of the success of the printing press, books were more available and affordable, allowing people of different backgrounds to read and write. This allowed creative nonfiction to expand to tell the stories of all kinds of people, not just the educated elite. Memoirs of artists, explorers, and craftspeople appeared, as did essays written by students, doctors, inventors, and political advisors. Readers were excited to explore these true stories and by the 19th century, memoirs and essays sold well.

The term “creative nonfiction” didn’t appear until the mid-20th century. Before that time there didn’t seem to need to be a term besides “memoir” or “essay.” But in the 1960s new forms of nonfiction began to emerge that didn’t fit into either of these older categories. These included new journalism, the nonfiction novel, and flash nonfiction. Inspired by the confessionalist poets, these new nonfiction writers came from all walks of life and boldly shared their stories on the page.

There’s a lot of debate about who exactly coined the term “creative nonfiction,” but the credit often goes to Lee Gutkind. Gutkind, a writer and teacher, went on to found the magazine Creative Nonfiction, which helped to popularize the term.

Over the centuries, creative nonfiction has been used to tell true stories in ways that engage the reader, whether through exciting details, interesting facts, the unique personality of the writer, or the beauty of their words. In the next section, we’ll discuss modern forms of the genre and discuss its continuing evolution.