In 1996, after Narayanaswamy retired from UNICEF, he believed it was the right time to begin writing the book; Ganesan too agreed to talk to him.

[5] The book was originally published in Tamil under the title Enathu Suya Sarithai on 1 October 2002, exactly one year after Ganesan's death, and the English translated version by Sabita Radhakrishna was released in 2007 on the same date.

[10] Sri Lankan historian Sachi Sri Kantha criticised the book for omitting numerous aspects of Ganesan's life, stating, "As an autobiographer, Sivaji’s performance – like many of his movies – provides glimpses of some class in a flop, leaving much to be desired [...] But for fans of Sivaji, it is a good memento to cherish.

"[11] Writing for India Today in 2013, Sadanand Menon compared Tamil film actors' biographers to the ones "who light a candle to look at the sun ...

The few books till now in this genre have crashed on the rock-bed of a comprehensive incomprehension of the audience base of the Tamil film star ... Sivaji Ganesan's Autobiography of an Actor (2007) is but a series of snippets from interviews done by T.S.