Johannes Vermeer died penniless and with little reputation beyond his immediate circle.
Judy van der Velden / flickr | Creative Commons
Dead Famous
BBC RADIO 4
In the world of film, it used to be said that the best way to achieve posthumous fame was to live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse. This prescription also applied to literature, although there was always space for the elderly sage festooned with honours and blessed with an extensive back catalogue.
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