The following questionnaire was sent out to a list of formidable literary figures, many of whom dismissed the fact that junior editors at Harper’s Bazaar are invariably asked to conduct such things, and sent in lively replies. The question about Turkish humor was tossed in to give a slightly more quirky feel to the questionnaire and, oddly, a surprising number of the literary worthies, perhaps because of the mundane quality of the other questions, leapt upon it with relish — eliciting far more response than one would have expected.

 

What is the state of humor today?

 

Without a doubt, Arkansas. (Rim shot)

                                — Dave Barry

 

Robust. We live in unfortunately funny times.

                                — Christopher Buckley

 

An issue of The Paris Review devoted to humor suggests that humor is in need of saving; indeed the allowable range of humor has suffered from the political correctness of our time — the good-taste police are patrolling in legi…