One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry

Lynda Barry’s One Hundred Demons is based on the idea of drawing a “demon.” It is an assortment of seventeen short comics, containing themes of Barry’s childhood. Barry got the idea of drawing demons from a painting practice used by a Japanese monk from the sixteenth century, who painted demons on a hand-scroll (Barry 9). By making the decision to paint them in the form of comics, the demons come out in what she calls an autobifictionalography (Barry 4). The autobifictionalography tells the many stories of Lynda Barry’s childhood and teenage years through part autobiography and part fiction. Barry was often unaccepted; she has very few friends and got involved with sex and drugs at a young age (Barry 71). The relationship with her mother was very weak, but she had a very strong bond with her grandmother (“Lynda Barry”). To combine fact and fiction in her memoir is something you don’t see often. I consider Lynda Barry to be not only an author; but a story teller, artist, and very unique individual as well. Many books we read are very easy to predict; they tell a true story, mystery, adventure or maybe even a biography. Lynda Barry’s One Hundred Demons is a memoir of some truth facts and some made up ideas. When writing a memoir many authors give facts on what has happened in their life good or bad. Although Barry states many factual events in her life, she also states many fictitious events. Lynda Barry presents fact and fiction throughout her memoir in a very responsible manner. She has presented it in a way that reflects her way of life or the events she believes will happen throughout her life time.
When I decide to read a memoir, I imagine sitting down to read the story of someone’s life. I in vision myself learning s...

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...from an author. I strongly believe it is a responsible approach because it allows her to get her point across in a way in which she feels most comfortable in doing so. The layout of the book may also be included in the responsibility that Lynda Barry took to create an autobifictionalography. Lynda Barry forces readers to have an open-mind as they read her writings and try to figure out what is fact and what is fiction. Barry has presented her life story in an unusual yet interesting manner. By taking the responsibility to write using fact and fiction Lynda Barry has become an original, creative, and dedicated author in my eyes.

Works Cited

Barry, Lynda. One Hundred Demons. Seattle: Sasquatch, 2002. Print.
"Lynda Barry." Lynda Barry: Spring 2012 Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence. Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.