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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Neal Stephenson on Depictions of Reality
Eric Kaufmann on Immigration, Identity, and the Limits of Individualism
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Sam Altman on Loving Community, Hating Coworking, and the Hunt for Talent
Jordan Peterson on Mythology, Fame, and Reading People
Noel Johnson and Mark Koyama on *Persecution and Toleration*
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