In her recent essay in the NY Times, Meghan O’Rourke addresses the literature of “death narratives.” This subject has held humanity in thrall since the beginning of literature. Gilgamesh, one of the earliest extant tales, explores this topic.
Haiku masters almost all penned “death poems:”
sick
on my journey
my dreams wander
the withered fields
Basho
Ms. O’Rourke’s essay begins:
Death has been a great
literary theme for so long you might think there’d be little left to say on the
subject, but in recent decades the literature of death has taken an interesting
and novel turn. Writers are recording their own deaths as they happen.
If this subject interests you for personal or professional reasons you will value this insightful essay. Download O'Rourke Dispatches