Some celebrities don't want letters. In 2008, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr didn't mince his words when he announced he would throw them out because he was too busy.
Others do attempt to get through it themselves. Robert Pattinson, star of the Twilight films, claims that he reads "tonnes and tonnes" of letters from fans.
Many artists, however, outsource the task of opening, reading and replying. Sylvia "Spanky" Taylor, 58, has run a service in California that does just that since 1987. She and her staff deal with up to 20,000 items of mail a month on behalf of 26 celebrities.
Most letters are simply declarations of affection and admiration, she says. A few ask for money. A small number contain threats which require her to contact the celebrity's security team and law enforcement.
The biggest problem for Taylor is working out how to dispose of the correspondence. Presents such as soft toys are sent to local hospitals, and the letters: most of them "just get shredded and recycled".
Typically, correspondence is acknowledged by a photo with a printed "autograph". For some, this is enough, according to Lynn Zubernis, an expert at West Chester University. She says that the relationship between fan and celebrity may exist only in the mind of the former but it comes from a deeply-rooted human need for community.
Quiz 測驗 1. Who read the letters to singer Taylor Swift that were found in a bin?
Nobody. The letters were unopened.
2. Who told fans not to send any letters?
The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr.
3. Is this statement true or false? Sylvia 'Spanky' Taylor tells the police if fans are threatening her celebrity clients.
True.
4. Which expression means a person who is well-known by his/her own choice?
Public figure.
5. Which word is used to refer to a lot of letters, placed one on top of the other?
Pile.
Glossary 词汇表 to pen書寫 a recycling bin一個回收垃圾箱 fan mail歌迷、影迷來信 a pile一堆 a burden負擔 a public figure公眾人物 the digital age數字時代 to message給（某人）發消息 to address to寫信給（某人） not to mince words直截了當地說，坦率地說 to get through做完，完成 to outsource外包 a declaration of affection愛的宣言 to dispose of將（某物）處理掉 correspondence信件 a soft toy絨毛玩具 to shred用碎紙機切成碎片 to recycle回收 an autograph親筆簽名 deeply-rooted根深蒂固的
