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.
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David Brooks on Youth, Morality, and Loneliness (Live at Mason)
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Bryan Caplan on Learning across Disciplines (Live at Mason Econ)
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Agnes Callard on the Theory of Everything
Martina Navratilova on Shaping Herself (Live at Mason)
Chris Blattman on Development, Conflict, and Doing What’s Interesting
Robin Hanson on Signaling and Self-Deception (Live at Mason Econ)
Matt Levine Live at Bloomberg HQ
Charles C. Mann on Shaping Tomorrow’s World and the Limits to Growth
Ross Douthat on Narrative and Religion (Live at Mason)
Andy Weir on the Economics of Sci-Fi and Space
Doug Irwin on US Trade Policy
Sujatha Gidla on Being an Ant Amongst the Elephants (Live)
Steve Teles and Brink Lindsey on *The Captured Economy*
Mary Roach on Disgust, Death, and Danger (Live at Mason)
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