DEAD BEAT PARTY!
Obituaries
are not so much about death as they are about the secrets of living well—that’s
the underlying theme of The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs and
the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries. And it’s a good thing, because
Marilyn Johnson’s witty, irrepressible, and richly-informed approach to
her subject matter would be wasted on anything less.
The public reaction has been as lively as the book. The HarperCollins book, launched on March 10 with enthusiastic blurbs from the likes of Roy Blount, Jr., and David Halberstam, immediately received glowing reviews in The New York Times and most other major outlets.
Bill Brotherton in the Boston Herald chuckled about “those newsies who have God for an assignment editor” and concluded, “you don’t have to be a die-hard to enjoy this nonfiction gem.” Mary Roach in the LA Times called the book a “primer on good writing” and said that “Writers...should inhale this book.” She then added: “Who else might profit or delight from reading about obituaries? Just about anyone who’s not yet in one, I’d wager.”
A former staff writer for Life and an editor for Esquire, Johnson, a Briarcliff resident, first became fascinated with obituaries and the cult and culture behind them when she was writing obits for celebrities such as Katharine Hepburn, Princess Diana, Jackie Onassis, Johnny Cash, Bob Hope, and Marlon Brando for Life and other magazines. Her fascination grew as her research into the form deepened and she explored such phenomena as conferences for obituary writers and fans and travelled to London to experience in person the especially fine obituaries in that city’s morning papers.
Media appearances and readings across the country have followed the great reviews and she’s been enjoying every minute. But she’s still taking time out to party with us at the HVWC, a place she has often graced with right-on author introductions and thoughtful questions. Join in as we celebrate her success, catch some road stories, and hear a piece of the book in her own distinctive voice.
photo by Rob Fleder
Admission free; donation welcome.
The readings at the HVWC are made possible in part by a grant from the Bydale Foundation; the David G. Taft Foundation; the Orchard Foundation; and the Thendara Foundation; with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; and by Westchester Arts Council with funds from Westchester County Government, corporations and individuals.