Graveyards, cemeteries, ossuaries, and crypts — all places of reverence where the living can pay their respects to those who’ve crossed over before us.
But that wasn’t always the case.
In the Middle Ages, graveyards were far more raucous, home to fairs, markets, and even grazing cattle. In the 19th century, some cemeteries were the place to see and be seen, possibly with a well-stocked picnic basket in tow.
In 1860, The Green-Wood Cemetery in New York rivaled Niagara Falls (!) as the most popular tourist attraction in the US.
In this episode, we take leisurely strolls through Pére Lachaise and Greyfriars Kirkyard, learn about the one-way train for the dearly departed, and visit a cheery Romanian cemetery. Then we share five books we love that explore these often peaceful, sometimes eerie ‘museums of people,’ including a 19th-century classic mystery tale, a how-to for death, two beloved fantasy novels, and a Gothic thriller set in 1980s Barcelona.
Read the full transcript of Cemetery: Celebrate Life, Honor the Dead.
Perhaps you’d like to listen to some mood music while you dig into these links.
Cemetery Picnics
Atlas Obscura: Remembering When Americans Picnicked in Cemeteries.
CNN: ‘Tombstone Tourists’ Find the Beauty and Joy in Cemetery Visits
Wall Street Journal: When Did Cemeteries Become Tourist Attractions and Hot-Date Spots?
Austin Chronicle: Food and Festivities of Dias de Los Muertos.
Food and Wine: How to Respectfully Picnic in a Cemetery.
Lonely Planet: Cemetery Tourism: An Ethical Traveller’s Guide to Graveyards.
Atlas Obscura: A Definitive Guide to the World’s Ossuaries.
The Guardian archive, 1912: Memorial for Oscar Wilde’s grave in Paris.
Statement 1: In the Victorian era, London had a train line for the dead. From The BBC: Necropolis Railway: The Railway Trip Where Only Some Returned — and another article about the railway: From Waterloo to Eternity and Back.
Statement 2: There’s a 14,000 year old pet cemetery. Read more about the The Oberkassel Double Burial here and here.
Statement 3: There’s a joyful cemetery in Central Europe. Read more about the Merry Cemetery of Romania here and here. Vice Magazine has a nice story and great photos — and there’s more at Mappola.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Guardian: The Woman in White’s 150 Years of Densation.
You can see and read the original serial version of The Woman in White in all its Victorian glory.
We loved the 2018 TV adaptation of the novel; The Guardian liked it, too.
Advice for Future Corpses by Sallie Tisdale
An interview with the author: Some Blunt Advice About Your Death.
A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle
The title of the novel comes from the poiem ‘To His Coy Mistress’s by Andrew Marvell. You can read it at the Poetry Foundation — and Wikipedia has a brief analysis.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafó
Congratulations! You made it to the end. Here are your rewards:
Do you enjoy our show and website? Do you love bonus content? Please consider supporting our work on Patreon! You’ll get access to bonus goodies and input on which destinations we cover each season. Every little bit of financial helps us keep the show going and makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside. Get all the info you need right here.
Our Substack is free and awesome. Every week, you get: Tuesday Tea, an invitation to chat about bookish topics with us and other (charming, intelligent, friendly) readers — and Friday Endnotes, a communique from Mel with behind-the-scenes and bonus goodies related to our new podcast episodes, plus her favorite book- and travel-related links of the week. Sign up here.
Parts of the Strong Sense of Place podcast are produced in udio. Some effects are provided by soundly.
Subscribe to our podcast so you never miss a must-read book or thrilling destination!
If we're not available on your favorite podcast-listening platform, send us an email!
Top image courtesy of Mark de Jong/Unsplash.
Want to keep up with our book-related adventures? Sign up for our newsletter!
Can you help us? If you like this article, share it your friends!
Strong Sense of Place is a website and podcast dedicated to literary travel and books we love. Reading good books increases empathy. Empathy is good for all of us and the amazing world we inhabit.
Strong Sense of Place is a listener-supported podcast. If you like the work we do, you can help make it happen by joining our Patreon! That'll unlock bonus content for you, too — including Mel's secret book reviews and Dave's behind-the-scenes notes for the latest Two Truths and a Lie.
Join our Substack to get our FREE newsletter with podcast updates and behind-the-scenes info — and join in fun chats about books and travel with other lovely readers.
We'll share enough detail to help you decide if a book is for you, but we'll never ruin plot twists or give away the ending.
This 30-page Reading Atlas takes you around the world with dozens of excellent books and gorgeous travel photos. Get your free copy when you subscribe to our newsletter.
