The most striking feature of Michael Psellos' “Chronographia”, one of the major works of byzantine historiography, is the intensive presence of its author's personality, manifested by long autobiographical digressions. This feature has been criticised by many scholars as a violation of traditional historiographical rules. However, a thorough analysis of the text shows that the autobiographical elements of the “Chronographia” are well integrated in its narrative structure and fulfil carefully calculated functions. Psellos’ self-presentation in his “Chronographia” is not a literary fault but a successful innovation.