Join us for a captivating conversation between Dr Ann Wroe, Obituaries Editor for The Economist, and writer and scholar Dr Victoria Phillips.
Ann Wroe describes the craft of the obituarist as the art of “catching souls”—distilling “the unique and essential part of ourselves, our self-conscious and transcendent core” into just 1,000 words. Yet, whether biographical material is abundant or scarce, fundamental questions persist:
How can a life be truly captured in 1,000 words?
How do we uncover the essence of a life?
These queries trouble Ann’s dazzling new memoir, Lifescapes: A Biographer’s Search for the Soul and will animate this evening’s conversation with renowned writer, archivist, and academic Dr Victoria Philips.
Ann has spent decades writing about the great and the good, from the poets Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott to singers Miriam Makeba and Luciano Pavarotti. Ann will meditate on writing the lives of those she has known intimately, only briefly encountered, or studied deeply, asking:
Where do we find the essence of a person?
What details make up a lasting portrait of a life?
For Ann, life’s mysteries are not found in lists of achievements but in fleeting, intimate moments: a gesture, a turn of phrase, a throwaway observation, “that uncatchable thing”. This begs the question:
Might life always escape us after all?
Dr Ann Wroe’s distinguished career spans decades of work in journalism and historical writing. After earning her doctorate in medieval history at Oxford, she covered international politics for the BBC and joined The Economist in 1976. Since 2003, she has edited the Obituaries page, often writing the tributes herself. Ann is also the acclaimed author of nine books, including Lifescapes, which has been shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize.
Dr Victoria Philips (Columbia University and The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing). Victoria is an expert on Cold War cultural diplomacy. She has taught at institutions such as Columbia University and the London School of Economics and leads the Cold War Archival Research Fellowship. Her work, including the book Martha Graham’s Cold War: The Dance of American Diplomacy, examines the intersection of politics, culture, and international relations. Victoria is currently a Visiting Researcher at the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing.
This event is free and open to all.
Registration is advised. This event will be recorded.
Event Queries/Contacts:Any queries regarding this event should be addressed to OCLW Events Manager, Dr Eleri Anona Watson.
