Margalit Fox is a senior obituary writer for The New York Times and the author of The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code.

"You do get emotionally involved with people, even though as a journalist you're not supposed to. But as a human being, how can you not? Particularly people who had difficult, tragic, poignant lives. But there are also people that you just wish you had known. And, of course, the painful irony is that you're only getting to know them by virtue of the fact that it's too late."

Show notes:

@margalitfox

The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code (HarperCollins • 2013)

Fox's New York Times archive

[4:15] "Lennart Meri, 76, of Estonia, Dies; President, Filmmaker, Writer" (New York Times • Mar 2006)

[4:20] "Samuel Alderson, Crash-Test Dummy Inventor, Dies at 90" (New York Times • Feb 2005)

[4:25] "Fred Morrison, Creator of a Popular Flying Plate, Dies at 90" (New York Times • Feb 2010)

[4:25] "André Cassagnes, Etch A Sketch Inventor, Is Dead at 86" (New York Times • Feb 2013)

[4:25] "John Houghtaling, Inventor of Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed, Dies at 92" (New York Times • June 2009)

[9:45] "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" (Esquire • Apr 1966)

[14:15] "Maurice Sendak, Author of Splendid Nightmares, Dies at 83" (New York Times • May 2012)

[17:15] Alden Whitman Is Dead at 76; Made an Art of Times Obituaries (New York Times • Sep 1990)

[22:15] "Nguyen Chi Thien, Whose Poems Spoke Truth to Power, From a Cell, Dies at 73" (New York Times • Oct 2012)

[23:30] "Sy Wexler, Maker of Ubiquitous Classroom Films, Dies at 88" (New York Times • Mar 2005)

[24:30] "Leslie Buck, Designer of Iconic Coffee Cup, Dies at 87" (New York Times • Apr 2010)

[39:00] "Alice E. Kober, 43; Lost to History No More" (New York Times • May 2013)

[40:45] "John Fairfax, Who Rowed Across Oceans, Dies at 74" (New York Times • Feb 2012)

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