Pope Francis' autobiography, Hope, is rich in anecdotes

"I like punctuality. It's a virtue I have learnt to appreciate," Pope Francis writes in the fifth chapter of his autobiography, published on Jan 14 in 18 languages, adding that he considers it "a sign of good manners and respect, to arrive promptly".

- Elisabetta Povoledo

Unfortunately, when he was a newborn, Pope Francis writes, he arrived a week late, necessitating a call to the doctor, who sat on his mother's abdomen and began "to press and to 'jump about'" to induce his birth.

"And so it was that I came into the world," he writes.

Hope: The Autobiography, by Pope Francis - a 320-page compendium of the Pope's memories and musings on the major social and political issues of our times, including climate change, poverty, immigration, arms control and war - is billed by its English-language publisher, Random House, as a "historic publication" and "the first memoir to be published by a sitting pope".

That is not technically true. That honour belongs to Pope Pius II's 15th-century chronicles, The Commentaries, a 13-book account of his life that is considered a seminal text in Renaissance humanism.

Pope Francis is also not the first pope to share his life story.

As a cardinal, the late Joseph Ratzinger wrote an autobiography that was published in 1997, eight years before he became Pope Benedict XVI, and both he and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, co-authored books with journalists that were personal reflections and not official papal documents.

But for readers, including the Roman Catholic faithful, Hope vividly recreates the colourful world where the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio grew up - a world that was a menagerie of migrants from various countries and colourful figures, including prostitutes, his "bag-lady" aunt, and other memorable family members.