Abstract：The Development of Australian autobiography undergoes three stages. The first stage is the early European travelers’ autobiographical writing, such as diaries, letters, memoirs. The second stage started from 1901, featuring self-orientation closely associated with national identity. The third stage started from 1960s and became prosperous when Australia entered multicultural period in the 1980s. During the third stage, Australian autobiographers became more aware of the uncertainty of identity and truth in autobiography.

Key Words：Australian autobiography; national identity; uncertainty

Zhang Wenru is a PhD Candidate in World Literature Institute of School of Foreign Languages at Peking University. Research Interests: Auto/biography, Australian Literature. She is the author of “POW and Australian Literature” (2015). Her dissertation considers to examine Australian travel writing.