Although the Victorians were fascinated by autobiographies, not all indulged in the genre or allowed their autobiographical writings to be published in their lifetime. For some, self-writing had to be oblique; the exercise proved difficult for others. Thomas Huxley began his autobiography as Louis Engel pressured him and as he was simultaneously labelled an ‘infidel’ by Anglican churchmen. In his responses, Huxley adopted an apologetic tone for his ‘Autobiography’ (published in 1890) and a confessional tone for his 1889 trilogy on agnosticism as he was embroiled in a controversy about its significanCE In the Nineteenth Century. Based on those contributions, this article discusses Huxley’s reluctance to autobiography and his public expression of his individual belief.