that Ole Andreson was living in Summit? What did Ole do to make somebody want him killed? Why did they think he came to the diner every night at six when he only comes irregularly?

Then I would ask Hemingway about another short story, "Fifty Grand." How did the gamblers talk Jack into betting against himself? If they wanted to bribe him to take a dive, why didn't they just offer to pay him out of their own pockets?

And finally, I would ask Hemingway what in the world he meant when he wrote in The Green Hills of Africa that there is a third and fourth dimension that can be gotten in writing fiction.

I have my own ideas about all the questions I would ask, but I would like to see if any of them were confirmed by the author himself.

L.M.Montgomery, of Anne of Green Gables fame. She created such a variety of memorable characters - young and old, male and female, rich and poor. More often than not it's the minor characters that she brings to life so vividly. And although her descriptions can get a little florid, she also creates a great sense of place in her writings. (I particularly like the way she characterises houses!) Another aspect of her work that I enjoy - and which she doesn't get nearly enough recognition for, in my opinion - is her sense of irony. The way she describes the likes of Mrs Rachel Lynde in Anne of Green Gables, for instance, is as good as anything you'd find in Jane Austen. Probably better, if it isn't sacrilege to say so! I'd love to tell her how much I enjoy all these different aspects of her work.

Wow!  I would talk to Charles Dickens.  I would first want to ask him if he was happy.  I know he struggled with the idea of happiness most of this life.  Did he ever find it?  I would mainly want to talk about his ideas of social justice and how he used books to make people aware.  Dickens said:

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts... (Our Mutual Friend)

I think he truly wanted to be the best person he could.  I think in many ways he succeeded.  His humor and courage never cease to amaze me, so if I could talk to any writer about his books, it would be Dickens.  My first question would be: WHO KILLED EDWIN DROOD!

I'm so pleased to see Dickens here!  Don't we want to know how in the world he named his characters to perfectly, too? 

I'd go with John le Carre. Of any author I've read over the years, he's the one whose novels I read the most. I continually turn to his spy novels because, while in the spy/suspense/thriller genre, they are much more than that. His novels are not crash and bang, shoot 'em up works of little or no substance. His stories are character studies that deal with the strengths and weaknesses of its characters - protagonists and antagonists alike. The stories concern the innermost feelings and motives of the main characters. They are morality tales of the highest order - superimposed over the structure of the classic spy novel, a genre that John le Carre transformed when he came on the scene in the 60s.

I especially love the novels Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Russia House, Smiley's People, A Perfect Spy, and his most recent published novel Our Kind of Traitor.

Hard choice, but I'd probably go with Benjamin Franklin. To call him a "famous author" might be something of a stretch, but he was certainly involved in a number of writing projects that could qualify him for inclusion as a writer of some note. And oh, the stories he would be able to tell about those projects!

As an American history buff, it would be fascinating to have the opportunity to hear stories and ask questions about the colonial era, the Revolutionary War, and the early years of forming a new government for this new country he helped to form. As a journalist, it would be interesting to hear how he went about finding information, writing his Poor Richard's Almanack, and publishing his newspapers. As an observer of human nature, I would be eager to ask for his reactions to some of the phenomena we observe in culture today.

I'm not a literature teacher but rather a history and social sciences teacher.  So I'm much more attracted to people whose work makes me think about history and society than to those who are investigating the human condition.  I also like pulp much more than good literature.  

If I could talk at length to an author I'd choose either Harry Turtledove or S. M. Stirling.  Both of these men write historical fiction and alternate histories.  They aren't great literature, but they do require me (or at least allow me) to think about various aspects of history (what would have happened if the North had lost the Civil War) or society (what happens if all authority is suddenly swept away and a new society has to be built).  They make me think in depth and detail about questions that are important to the areas in which I teach and so I would rather talk to them than to literary authors. 

It would have to be Hemingway. Growing up in Florida in the 1960s, it was impossible to ignore Hemingway's literary influence in the state, and he still commands a presence (especially in Key West). But it is Hemingway's larger-than-life persona that attracts me most, and it would be great to share a few stories over a bottle of wine in 1920s Paris or a few daiquiri's on his boat in Key West or Cuba.

Walt Whitman seems like a really interesting person. I'd like to talk with him about poetry and about life and ask him questions about how his views did or didn't change over time. 

Leaves of Grass is probably one of the greatest self-publishing success stories in American history. I wonder how Whitman felt about that aspect of his career, being self-made. How did things change for him professionally as his stature eventually grew? What, if he could narrow his artistic message to a single sentiment, what would he want people to take away from his work?

I'd also really like get to talk with James Baldwin. 

This is a tough one, but I would have to say F. Scott Fitzgerald.  If he had written nothing but The Great Gatsby, that would be enough for me.  This and Huckleberry Finn will always be the two great American novels as far as I'm concerned.  Twain is someone I would love to talk to, but he is too far removed in time for me to feel that we would be able to be on the same page very quickly.  I would want to know about what image was in Fitzgerald's mind that began this novel for him, I would also want to hear about the beauty and pain of his life with Zelda, and because I adore the whole era, I would love to hear his thoughts on the Roaring Twenties.