An epitaph is a piece of writing used on a headstone or monument to memorialize someone. (Not to be confused with epigraph, which is a quotation used to introduce a piece of writing, like at the beginning of a book.) Despite the fact that authors are literally known for using words, it’s surprising how many have headstones without an epitaph. Like, Ernest Hemingway, really? He seemed to bloviate on and on, yet his headstone contains only his name and dates. Or Douglas Adams, he has such a simple headstone, it makes you want to cry. (There isn’t even an illustration. There’s no towel, no fish, no Cosmic Cutie.) But there are plenty of amazing author epitaphs to choose from. Some are serious, some are silly, and some are poignant. And these 12 are some of the best! Honorary mentions: The headstone of Gwendolyn Brooks is shaped like a book, with the titles of her works on the spine. The headstone of Nella Larsen, author of Passing, is etched with a book and reads “A Novelist Remembered.” — which is nice and succinct. And Herman Melville’s headstone has a scroll carved into the front that reads…nothing. It’s blank, which really feels like a statement in itself. — Dwan Reece (@DwanReece) February 23, 2019 — SchomburgCenter (@SchomburgCenter) February 1, 2020 She has since gotten a new gravestone that reads, “Leave for her a red young rose, Go your way and save your pity, She is happy for she knows, That her dust is very pretty,” which is from her poem “Epitaph For A Darling Lady.” As for myself, I am not sure what I want my epitaph to say. There probably won’t be any room for one, after they finish carving “Killed by a falling stack of books: we told her to be careful.” And as the headstone of Mel Blanc says, “That’s all folks.”
