PODCAST: What does a life look like from the end?

In this episode, Robyn Curnow reflects on her years writing obituaries for global giants – from Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela to Pope John Paul II and Muhammad Ali – and why she always found them strangely uplifting.

Because an obituary isn’t really about death. It’s about shape. It’s about distilling a messy, complicated life into its through-line: courage, ambition, service, love.

From historic state funerals to the handwritten obituary of a Southern raconteur who framed his own ending, this episode explores why America loves obituaries – and what they reveal about reinvention, meritocracy and the stories we tell about ourselves.

In an age of constant self-broadcasting, the obituary may be the most honest genre left.

And whether we like it or not, we’re all writing our own.

Robyn Curnow’s podcast, “Searching for America”, examines the US from her outsider perspective – as a South African living in the American South. 

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube and sign up for her free weekly newsletter or Substack here.

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