Getting the Last Word

Harbour Publishing has brought out a book called "Deadlines," an appropriate title, as it is a collection of obituaries written by Tom Hawthorn. Hawthorn, whose work is seen most often these days in The Globe and Mail, says, "In these pages you'll meet some fascinating people. They have two things in common--they all have a connection to British Columbia and they're all dead."

And there are some fascinating people in the book, from Bill Clancey, the flamboyant flack who was W.A.C. Bennett's personal PR man, to Alberta Slim, who was not from Alberta and got his nickname because he was given some shirts with "Alberta Slim" embroidered on the back. Jeani Read is here, and John Juliani, plus Foncie Pulice, the Granville Street photographer, Harvey Lowe, the yo-yo king. and Jimmy "Baby Face" McLarnin, twice world welterweight boxing champion. What a cast!

An earlier collection of obituaries is "Come to Judgment," by Alden Whitman, who wrote for The New York Times. Whitman liked to interview his subjects while they were still alive, which is, of course, the recommended method for interviews. Among those given the last word by Whitman: Pablo Picasso, Albert Schweitzer, Charlie Chaplin, Chiang Kai-Shek, Maurice Chevalier and J. Robert Oppenheimer.

After a time, people began to realize why Whitman wanted an interview, and his presence at the door made him seem like an advance man for the Grim Reaper. Graham Greene said, "So you're the young man who's come to write my obituary, are you?" And Anthony Eden succinctly summed it up with "This is all for after I'm dead, isn't it?"

Obituaries: often lively reading.