OBITUARIES

As my friends well know, I enjoy reading the obituaries in the London press and emailing the text of particularly interesting obits to those who I think might be interested in reading them. In the United States the only newspaper that comes even somewhat close to offering the range and depth of these obituaries is The New York Times but there are just so many interesting and eccentric characters that appear in the London newspapers that escape mention in the NYT.

The London papers come online the previous evening on the East Coast so you can read them before you go to bed. Unfortunately you have to subscribe to The Times online edition but access to The Guardian, The Independent and the Daily Telegraph is free, at least at the time of publication and for a short while afterwards. These, together with the Financial Times, are the so-called (up-market) broadsheets. (Two -- The Times and The Independent -- are now published in tabloid form as well). The FT prints few obituaries but it does offer what is arguably the best foreign news coverage in any English language newspaper.

Navigating the sites is pretty straightforward. Obituaries are under"People" at The Independent. Obituaries in the UK are often more candid than those that appear in the U.S. For example, the anonymous author of The Times obituary of Pamela Harriman identified her as a courtesan, which, of course, she was. Since this obituary is no longer accessible for free, see a short and candid account of her life and loves at Misfit Women. Although Times obituaries are anonymous, the other three newspapers provide the authors' names.