In general we try to have a certain level of preparedness with the major figures. The selection criterion is does this person have a life that it was so long in the public eye, so rich, so complex and so deeply documented. So we do indeed have the advance obits all but the top as it were, written, edited on file,. We have about 1700.
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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