Can you enjoy the work of an author if s/he is a total jerk?

[mashamashamasha]

At the base of every major work of art is a pile of barbarism.- Walter Benjamin

Do you find that you can't enjoy the work of an author as much once you find out that he or she was a terrible person, or did something you vehemently disagreed with during the course of his or her lifetime? I guess it wouldn't matter for many people, since all the jerk things they did are lost to time (nobody's ever like "yeah, Homer was blind, but did you know that he HATED KITTENS?"), but let's say we're talking about someone that is almost universally beloved - for example, while browsing, I noticed that in a post on children's authors, many people mentioned Roald Dahl as a favorite. I loved - and still love - some of this work, but I really can't love it as much as I used to because I know that he was a pretty terrible dude in a lot of ways:

(I'm a new member, so I can't post hyperlinks, but Google "Roald Dahl" and "thisrecording" to find the article I quote below - or send me a message and I'll send you the link that way)

Everyone knows Roald Dahl's last novel Matilda, his seemingly pro-female examination of a talented young girl oppressed by the provincialism of her parents. What they usually do not know is that the original draft of the book painted the protagonist as a devilish little hussy who only later becomes "clever", perhaps because she found herself without very much to do after torturing her parents. Dahl's editor Stephen Roxburgh completely revised Dahl's last novel and, in doing so, turned it into his most popular book.

What do you think? I get the whole critical theory/Roland Barthes' Death of the Author angle, but I mean in a more general, less pretentiously academic-y way... does it bother you on a personal level, to the point where you enjoy the work less (if at all)? Does it make a difference if you know that this author's "cause" was more personal (for example, if you are Jewish, but an author whose work you admire turns out to be very much anti-Semitic)? Does it matter if the author is living or dead?

[Wreade1872]

It does me somewhat but i read a lot of old books so i kind of have to get used to it.
A lot of it for me is a sign of the times authors i read were often racist or sexist to some degree but occasional you get a stand out creep.
Such as Thea Von Harbou i read the novel version of 'Metropolis' by her and while the book is fine in her personal life she was an actual 'Nazi'!

Then there's M.P. Shiel, read a couple of his books, after the first but before i read the second i found out the uncomfortable information that you was a convicted pedophile!!
What was worse was that i really then enjoyed his next book anyway.... i felt really bad but got some consolation in that Shiel had just written it for the money and actually thought it was shlock.

Anyway so yes, apparently i can still enjoy such work but then i hate myself for enjoying it .

[LivreAmour217]

I can't read Stephen King anymore because he said some pretty insulting things about members of the military. I'm a veteran, both my parents are veterans, and my husband is in the military, so I really don't want to give him any of our hard-earned money. It's a shame, too, because I used to enjoy his books.

[Fran]

I'm not sure how to respond to this topic - for one thing is there an agreed definition of "jerk", it would appear to be one of those jargon words that can mean anything from "I don't like his tie" to "he's a mass murderer"?
Most authors I read I know nothing about them prior to reading their work - it's only if the work appealed to me or impressed me greatly that I might feel inclined to check out their bio or listen to their interviews.
IMO even if an author is an unpleasant person or holds unsavory opinions that doesn't necessarily translate to their work ... for example, from what I know of the man Pablo Picasso was a thoroughly unpleasant individual but I can still admire his work and appreciate his talent as an artist - I wouldn't be signing him up as my new best friend though.
To limit myself to only reading work by authors whose opinions or lifestyle I approve of would be very restrictive as well as being extremly judgemental of someone without actually even knowing them and as we all know comments can be taken out of context or edited to suit a particular agenda.
So I guess the answer is yes!

[jmlambert]

I honestly can't read Steven King. Due to his disrespect to the military. I grew up an Army Brat and my father is still active duty.
That is my only problem with an author.
But that pretty much sums it up

[mashamashamasha]

Interesting. I guess to answer a sort of question, the reason I wrote "jerk" is that writing a harsher expletive would probably not go over too well.

I feel like I'm more apt to forgive dead authors for what I would consider bad behavior than living ones - for one thing, the living authors are alive to enjoy all the money of their book sales, and free to donate any profits to some terrible cause I don't support. Dead people? Well, maybe they were awful at times, but now they're dead, so it's not like being like, "Nyah, Hemingway, YOU ASS!" is hurting him anyway.

SO I guess it also comes down to a question of commercial support vs simply reading someone. I'd probably read a book by someone I disliked (yes, there is such a thing as hate-reading, although I find that usually, I hate-read online, in comments sections), but I would never give them my money or promote their work.

[gali]

It depends on the author and how much his opinion effects his writing. I would read works by authors whose opinions or lifestyle I don't approve, as long as the book is good and does not promote their believes.

However I have to say I won't read racist authors, especially living ones. Some authors talk about political issues they know nothing about and think their status as authors gives them the license to interfere. There are plenty of books to read and I see no reason to read /support authors I despise. In some cases, their books don't amount to much anyway.

[rssllue]

With how all of the values have become so relative today in our culture, I am not sure that we will ever come to a complete consensus on who is a jerk and who isn't. That being said, there are authors who I usually don't bother reading because of how they talk or act just because it is not worth my time to spend it on their ideas on the page.

[Gravy]

I have authors who I don't particularly like for various reasons.
If I really don't like them...like don't even want to support them...then I get their books when I can from used book stores.
That way I can enjoy the book but don't feel like I'm condoning whatever it is I disagree with.
Although if it was something other than just disliking the person, or disagreeing with one of their points of veiw, like they had done something unforgivable...it would put me off reading them.

[suzy1124]

Chances are that I'd never be attracted to the writings of a " jerk " to begin with...( same answer I gave to the " could you be attracted to a non-reader? " thread )

[Carla Hurst-Chandler]

Sadly it does kind of spoil things for me. I loved Frances Mayes body of work until she came out with Under Magnolias...her autobiography. I used to think I would love to catch her at a book signing. Not anymore.

[nstreit82]

It all depends on the circumstances for me. If a writer says things that are offensive then I will not read. If they are a jerk to their followers that is another reason I would not read their books.

[Sweet_Lullaby]

Maybe I could enjoy the work, but it wouldn't be as satisfying. For instance, if I'm reading a good story, and learn that the author did or said something that goes against my values, I would probably finish it, but be sad.

[chouk1902]

Never knew that about Dahl. That really suprised me, but take a Edgar Allen Poe book or poem for example. He had some messed up stuff happen to him and he did some even worse stuff. I think he is an awesome author.

[Syntheticaudio]

Hated kittens hahahaha.

I didn't know Dahl was a dick but come to think of it, how do you really find out if a writer you like is a jerk??

I guess it doesn't bother me but I will say that's it's easier not knowing. I suppose it depends how good the book is or how bad the person is?