The Times' obituary department was not involved in the handling of 9-11 deaths. Many high-profile people died on 9-11, but very few were famous in conventional terms. The Times did this marvelous series of little capsule obits on almost all of the 3,000-called portraits in grief. That was one of the great heartbreaks.
The stereotypical obituary is a formulaic recitation of facts — dry, boring, and without craft. But Margalit Fox has shown the genre can produce some of the most memorable and moving stories in journalism. Exploiting its “pure narrative arc,” Fox has penned over 1,200 obituaries, covering well-known and obscure subjects with equal aplomb.
In her conversation with Tyler Cowen, Fox reveals not only the process for writing an obituary, but her thoughts on life, death, storytelling, puzzle-solving, her favorite cellist, and how it came to be that an economist sang opera 86 times at the Met.
Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.
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