Which authors dead or alive would you want to have dinner with?

When I was in University I was in one of my classes (I believe it was English Literature) and my tutor asked us to write an essay on which authors dead or alive we would like to sit down and have a meal with.  So, I thought it would make a really interesting blog post and here are my top ten authors.

1. Jane Austen:  I'd love to sit down with her and ask her about her England:  what the country was like, the politics, the society.  I'd like to ask her questions such as how she came up with her stories, if the characters are based on her family or circle of friends or if she immortalised any of those she disliked into fiction.  I'd also like to ask her if she ever had a Mister Darcy. 

2. Phillipa Simons:  The Bronzehorseman is one of if not my favourite book of all time.  It's from this book that my obsession with visiting Russia stemmed from.  I'd like to talk to Ms Simons about her inspiration for the book and for the character of Alexander and what life was like for her and her family first living in Russia then relocating to the states.  I'd also like to get her perspective on where the best places to visit in Russia are.

3. Roald Dahl:  Roald Dahl's books were a main staple of my literary childhood.  I think Charlie and the Chocolate factory was the first novel I read cover to cover by myself.  I remember sitting in bed with the covers pulled up to my chin and a mug of hot chocolate reading about Charlie and Grandpa Joe's adventure through the factory.  I'd love to see if Mr Dahl was as exciting and as humour filled as his writing was and where and how he dreamed up his sumptuous tales.

4. Harper Lee:  To Kill a Mockingbird was just a pure delight to read during highschool and the burning question which has always been in my mind is:  why did she only ever publish one novel?  I'd also like to ask what it was like having Truman Capote as a friend and what it was like traveling with him when he did his research for 'In Cold Blood'.

5. Shakespeare:  I just had to put him in.  There's so much mystery surrounding his life: Even in as much that there's questions as to whether or not he really did write his works. 

6. Frank McCourt:  Anyone who has read Angela's Ashes will understand why and those who haven't should definitely read it:  this man grew up in a miserable life of despair but still managed to find humour in it.

7. Jodi Picoult:  I'd love to follow her through a working day and see the writing process, she has written some of the most thought provoking literature I've read.

8. J.M.Barry:  Who wouldn't want to dine with the man who created Peter Pan?  This man come up with Peter Pan, Caption Hook, Neverland.  He must have had a childlike imagination mixed with the literary genius of an adult.

9. Nicholas Sparks:  His books are heartwrenching and delightful all at once and he always manages to make me fall for his main character - Noah in the Notebook.  His female leads are also strong characters - vulnerable but not pushovers.

10.  Finally, Lewis Carroll:  I've visited Oxford University where Carroll dreamed up Alice's adventures but it would just be magical to go on a tour with the man himself and see the locations where he came up with the ideas and hear the real stories behind the characters and situations.

I'd love to know who you all would like to sit at a table with so join in....