Authors and their fonts

Posted by Daniel Stout on Tue 29 May 2007 at 8:34 AM

Slate has a fun little piece entitled My Favorite Font: Anne Fadiman, Jonathan Lethem, Richard Posner, and others reveal what font they compose in and why. They ask a bunch of authors what their favorite font for composing is and why. Not surprisingly Courier is a popular choice, but by no means is that universal. Apparently some of these choices go deep into the Freudian psyche and our need for parental approval:

Elisa Zuritsky, writer and producer, Sex and the City
I talked to my therapist, and she said my love of Courier stems from my childhood. Back before I knew what deadline, hack, or rewrite meant. When the most fun I could imagine was a trip to my father’s office, where I could be alone with the IBM electric typewriter. Another chance to tickety-tick-tick something that would make me laugh. And then show it to my mom and she’d laugh, too. So, I guess my loyalty to Courier is a way for me to maintain my bond with my mother. In other words, it’s all her fault. That’s what my therapist says, anyway.

Okay, so that one was a little scary, but the rest are fun. I promise!

Tags: authors · courier · courier new · fonts · slate · typewriters

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