BEST AUTHOR BEST : GRAYDON CARTER [2]

 

.-  What books are on your night stand?

A lot of mysteries and late-20th-century histories. I just finished '' Naples '44,'' by Norman Lewis. I'm in the middle of Joseph O'Connor's '' The Ghosts of Rome.''

.-  Describe your ideal reading experience.

Any time I'm traveling - but not while I'm driving. Planes and trains always. And just before cocktail hour at the end of the day.

.-  What would you say is the Great Canadian Novel?

'' Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town,'' by Stephen Leacock - arguably the founder of modern humor.

'' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz,'' by Mordecai Richler. And '' The Deptford Trilogy,''  by Robertson Davies.

.-  Which subjects do you wish more authors would write about?

Any part of New York that's not Brooklyn.

.-  Which books deserve a sequel?

'' I Am Pilgrim,'' '' The Bonfire of the Vanities.''

.-  Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine?

Jeeves. Duddy Kravitz. Sammy Glick. Dean Moriarty.

.-  Your favorite antihero or villain?

Inspector Javert. Roderick Spode. Lucy [ from ''Peanuts'' ].

.-  Have you gotten in trouble for reading a book?

I had a friend at Knopf when I first started out at Time in the late '70s. She got hold of the galleys of the Jackie Collins novel. '' Hollywood Wives '' and sent it to me. I was a bit miffed that she thought I was so lowbrow.

But I gave it a chance and honestly, I simply couldn't put it down. One of my editors spotted it on my desk and just shook his head and moved on.

I do believe my fortunes at the magazine began to decline from that moment on. But I read all of  Jackie's books after that. Just not at the office.

.-  If you could require President Trump to read one book, what would it be?

This is a trick question, obviously. And you want me to say '' The Very Hungry Caterpillar '' or '' Goodnight Moon '' or something with a lot of images and very few words. But I'm going to rise above that.

'' The Glory and the Dream,'' by William Manchester.

.-  You're organizing a literary dinner party.  Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

I can't hold it to  three.  PG Wodehouse, Edith Wharton, Nora Ephron, Christopher Hitchens, Dawn Powell and Tom Wolfe. [ Nora would choose the food. Christopher would choose the scotch.]

The World Students Society thanks The New York Times.