Obituaries

For 10 years, "The Economist" has included unique and original obituaries in a popular column. The selections are remarkable because of the people written about, the surprising lives they led, and the brilliant writing style. This volume gathers 200 of the best obituaries.

The first serious academic study of obituaries, this book focuses on how societies remember. Bridget Fowler makes great use of the theories of Pierre Bordieu, arguing that obituaries are one important component in society's collective memory. This book, the first of its kind, will find a place on every serious sociology scholar's bookshelves.

A haunting new novel from the author of My Paris

Tampa, Florida's Obituary has been a death metal institution since 1984. Guided by the inhuman, if not unfathomably deranged vocals of John Tardy, the obscenely brutal guitar tone of Trevor Peres and rhythmic brilliance of drummer Donald Tardy, Obituary defined heaviness throughout the 1990s. Their 1989 'Slowly We Rot' and 1990 'Cause of Death' studio albums are undisputed classics, but their live prowess and unwavering dedication to their fans made them one of the metal underground's most respected bands.An unexpected five-year hiatus starting in 1998 only saw Obituary's stature grow when a new generation of bands adopted their sonic trademarks. However, their post-reformation efforts were nearly sidetracked by the perils of the music industry and inter-band tumult. Through the unbreakable bond between the Tardy brothers and Peres, Obituary emerged stronger than ever, entrenched in their rightful position as death metal vanguards.'Turned Inside Out: The Official Story of Obituary' is the fully authorized biography of Obituary, providing an unprecedented look into the band's career through in-depth interviews, studio recollections, road stories and scores of exclusive photos.

The five Daily Telegraph Books of Obituaries have been both a critical and a popular success, winning plaudits from readers and reviewers alike. Here, gathered in one volume, is the very best of the witty, waspish and often wildly funny biographical short stories that are the mark of a Telegraph Obituary. Together they offer a richly unpredictable medley of twentieth-century lives, a deliciously idiosyncratic study in miniature, reflecting the last century at its most picturesque, poignant and absurd.

A sophisticated and suspenseful novel about the poignant lives of two women living in different eras. On the day John F. Kennedy is inaugurated, Claire, an uncompromising young wife and mother obsessed with the glamour of Jackie O, struggles over the decision of whether to stay in a loveless marriage or follow the man she loves and whose baby she may be carrying. Decades earlier, in 1919, Vivien Lowe, an obituary writer, is searching for her lover who disappeared in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. By telling the stories of the dead, Vivien not only helps others cope with their grief but also begins to understand the devastation of her own terrible loss. The surprising connection between Claire and Vivien will change the life of one of them in unexpected and extraordinary ways. Part literary mystery and part love story, The Obituary Writer examines expectations of marriage and love, the roles of wives and mothers, and the emotions of grief, regret, and hope.