Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-02-25
AUTHORS LIKES AND DlsLIKEs.


Tastes of Some Wei Known Writers ms
Seen from Their AvowaIs.
The Book Buyer has been sending out
to literary people some blanks which
they are required to fill out, telling who
are their favorito prose authors, poets,
painters, etc, their favorite books, heroes
of fiction, what they most enjoy and
most detest, and so ON. Some Of the re-
suits are amusing isvery instruct
I've. 1t would be more amusing than
anything else, for instance, to sec Mr..
Brander Matthews attempt TO reconcile
his favorite prose writer, Hawthorne,
and his favorite poet, Dobson, with his
fayorite musical composer, Wagner; but
when opposite the sentence, "Where
should like toliye, he writes ''New York
Of course" we begin to comprehend as
well as TO be amused. Mr.. Joel Chandler
Harris makes very frank and cheerful
avowal Of his preferences; it is odd to SEQ
} Uncle Remus including Lander among
his favorite authors Of prose; but one
would expect Shakespeare and Burns TO
be his favorite poets, and it is consistent
and significant that he should write down
"The People as his favorite musical com
posers.
Mr.. T. Russell Sullivan writes the best
lot Of answers in the lot-which is as
much as to say, Of course, that the Lis
tener is most in sympathy with them.
His favorite authors Of prose are Sterne,
Sir Thomas Browne; his poets, Shake
speare, Heine; his painters, Velasquez,
Rembrandt; his composers" Dinner
and Sleep, which is COAX" his favor
ito play is "Othello," and his favorite
heroes in fiction are Mephistopheles and
d'Artagnan; his favorite heroines in fic-
ton, Juliet and Beatrix Esmond; his
favorite heroines in real life, "The I'm
complaining Poor" He mostly enjoys
travel, and most detests an electric
street car, while the "historic event at
which he should like most TO have been
present" was the interview between Eve
and the serpent
Miss Agnes Repplier's answers are IL
Illuminating as to the character of that
gifted lady. Naturally Scott Is one OF
her favorite prose writers, and Keatf
goes with Shakespeare in poetry, while
her favorite composers are Gounod and
Verdi. That "Marius the Epicurean'
should be her favOrite book is rather ar
odd thing to some warm admirer Of Mr.
Pater, who doesn't share Miss Repplier'l
general romantic and sanguinary taste
In literature. The exquisite civilization
Of "Marius" seems very far away from
the silly barbarism Of "Ivanhoe." Bu'
whether il is she who is inconsistent o.
whether they are, each party probably
would not leave it TO the other TO de
eide. OF course Miss Repplier's heroin'
in real life is Mary Stuart, and the his
toric event at which she would most lik,
TO have been present was the battle o
Agincourt. No circular need come from
J the mails 10 find that out.
The literary ladies, by the way, VIII
have such an unwOnanly taste for gore
and who pour out 50 much tardy ink II
the praise Of thirsty sword, illustrat
anew the tendency Of their Sex TO com
/ briskly in expressing mems thought
just after men have ceased 10 thin
them. All, well, at the Same time tina
Miss Reppher ayOws these things sh
avows that she would rather live il
, London than anywhere else, and de
, clares that the gift Of nature she woul'
most like to have IL health, which is a
much AZ 10 say that she has it not, am
/ illness, and life in Philadelphia, and
/ liking for London win account for
great many backward and morbid thing
in ones understanding Boston Tran
script.