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

[dhaller]

Yes. I think it's possible to enjoy someone's work and dislike them at the same time.

For instance: I was born Jewish, and I still enjoy Nietsche.

Frankly, if you want to enjoy any fiction written far in the past, I give you even odds that the author was (by today's moral standards) a horrible person.

[kyriakich]

To be honest the time I am reading his/her book, it doesn't come to my mind of the awful thing he/she did. The point at the time of reading is the work itself. Now, if I find out or hear that he/she committed sth illegal or morally wrong, I would actually consider for a moment about it. But if his/her work was respectable, then there is no point of discharging a good evening's read...

[adultadhdman]

It definitely skews my perception of the author if I find out that they are a jerk. I still try to have an open mind, though, and believe that I can learn and appreciate from most authors, save a few, of course!