Obituary Writing as an Art Form

[Kire]

More than you ever wanted to know about Obituary Writing. It even reads like one for a while.

Dead On

By Paul McLeary

In the winter of 1996, a self-proclaimed “computer guy” working for a Japanese bank in lower Manhattan got the idea to start a magazine. As with any other self-funded and self-fueled endeavor, the ’zine would reflect the tastes and aesthetic of its creator — in this case, a guy who loved to write obituaries.

Called Goodbye!, the magazine was packed with a cast of characters who didn’t seem to have much in common other than the fact that they were all, well, dead. Among that first issue’s entries were Red Thunder Cloud, the last known speaker of the Catawba language; Ray McIntire, the inventor of Styrofoam (who never received a penny for his invention but likely some bad environmental karma); and Rolando and Carmelita Bolante, who were both electrocuted when they “came to the aid of their pig, which had a live wire stuck in its mouth.”

What tied all these people together? The abiding admiration — or fascination — of Steve Miller, the ’zine’s founder and main contributor, and the current obituaries editor for The New York Sun, a three-year-old Manhattan daily. “With Goodbye! I just did whoever floated my boat,” he says, “pretty much whoever I thought I could say something interesting or sardonic about, I would write.”

Since taking over the obit helm at the Sun, Miller has carved out a place for himself as one of the nation’s most talented — and iconoclastic — obituary writers. Part of the appeal is his eclectic subject choices, but he also brings to the form serious reporting and a singular, literary style. As Claire Martin, The Denver Post’s obit writer says, Miller has the “kind of dry humor and acute insights that elevate his profiles into nonfiction short stories.”

More: http://www.cjr.org/issues/2005/5/mcleary.asp

[sybylla]

1. I love it!

I'm so disappointed that Goodbye no longer exists. As I was reading, I was trying to figure out which of my magazines I was going to ditch so I could have it only to find out he quit producing it three years ago.

I never thought you could make any money writing obits - they are all so bland and formulaic. Researching my family history, I've found obits haven't always been so and I'm glad to see there are a few who try to do better.

[tim2204]

2. NIce post

I have to say that often i have given it thought as to whom i would want to write my death notice.
I am from a small town in southern michigan,and one of my class mates became a big hit and became pretty famous.
So much so i am positive you have heard his work.
He is the guy that tells you in the motel six commercials that "they will leave the light on for ya".
His mother passed away just recently and he came back here for the funeral he wrote her obituary, and i have to say I had to read it more than once because it was so wonderful.
You felt like you knew her your whole life.
Since then i often have wondered how mine would look if a had a professional do it for me.
I hate to do it my self (before hand of course LMAO) for fear i would miss something that most would want to know or hear.
But i know if I ever thought that would be the best way i would ask himto do it for me.
His words did her more proud than anyone could have done that didn't know her at all as most funeral directors do.