Yet another good New York Times Article

I like to pretend I'm at home with a copy of the Sunday New York Times on Sundays here in England by reading a few articles on the Times website. Today I came across this one, about a program at the 92nd St. Y through which New York City public high school students get to sit down to dinner and discussions with various contemporary authors. First of all, I began wishing I was a New York City public high school student. What a fantastic opportunity! And what a fantastic idea on the part of the Y. It's wonderful that the writers donate (I'm not positive they actually donate, perhaps they get paid for this...) their time to, as the article states, showing young aspiring writers that not all authors are dead. 

I wanted to bring attention to one quote from one of the students, however. One student said she was looking forward to reading some of Junot Díaz's stories because like Mr. Díaz, she is from the Dominican Republic and has spent time there and has, "felt what he felt", and, "seen what he saw." She says that, "With other authors, you're not always a participant, you can't always relate." 

I've always wondered just how important it is to be able to relate to authors and their experiences. If an appreciation for literature had its roots in a reader's ability to relate to the author, the author's experiences and the subject matter within the book or poem or essay or whatever it may be, I feel there would only be a small percentage of literature that an individual could appreciate, or "participate" in. This is, in no way, an assault on the young lady that made that point in the article, because I have heard people say the same thing to some effect before. In fact, I've probably said it several times myself. But when I think about it, I don't think a reader should have to be able to relate to an author. If this were the case, would anyone like the Harry Potter series? If this were the case, I don't think I could have enjoyed The Human Stain, American Pastoral, even The Great Gatsby. I can't relate to those stories at all. I believe whether or not a reader can relate to a story depends on the author's ability to allow the reader to relate. The writing should be accessible enough, vivid enough that anyone can appreciate it, no matter who the author may be. Thoughts?

-ZMG