It is the dual aim of this presentation to explore the scope and to define the limits of what psychoanalysis can offer to the field of biography. In pursuit of these goals emphasis is placed upon the influence of the writer's emotional attachment to his subject, which, despite intensive psychoanalytic training and experience, may compromise his objectivity and contaminate his narrative. In addition, attention is drawn to psychological issues in the life of the creative artist which may play a decisive role both in determining the quality of his work and in stimulating its production.