Who Wrote What Book? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) might be best known for the three children's novels that she published - "Little Lord Fauntleroy" (published in 1885-1886), "A Little Princess" (1905), and "The Secret Garden" (1911). She was also well known for the adult romantic fiction that she published.

"The Secret Garden" tells the story of a spoiled young girl named Mary who is born in India to British parents. After they are killed in a cholera epidemic, she is sent to live in England with a widowed uncle that she does not know. She discovers from a maid in the house that her aunt had been killed in an accident in a walled garden on the grounds. When that happened, her uncle locked the garden and buried the key.

After searching for a while and making friends with a local boy, they find the secret garden. Occasionally, Mary hears strange cries at night. One night, she wanders around to try to figure out who or what is making the cries. She discovers that she has a cousin with a condition that prevents him from walking who remains in his bed. They develop a relationship that week that culminates in Mary and the local boy playing in the garden with her cousin. He shows that he has the use of his legs, and with all of the activities in the garden, strengthens them each day. His father is travelling over the days that the children play in the garden, but returns to find his son healthy and happy in a garden that is in full bloom.

Answer: Wilkie Collins

Wilkie Collins (January, 1824-September, 1889) was born in England, but his family moved around Europe in his younger years. During these moves, he was able to learn Italian and French. He was bullied at a private school that he attended, where another youngster forced Collins to tell a story before the bully would allow him to sleep. In an introduction to his book "The Legacy of Cain", Collins states "When I left school I continued story telling for my own pleasure".

"The Moonstone" first appeared as a serial in Charles Dickens' magazine "All the Year Round" in 1868. It has a complex plot that tells the story of a young woman who receives a diamond on her eighteenth birthday. Unfortunately, it was originally stolen by her uncle who had served in the British army in India. The gem is, in turn, stolen from her on the evening of her birthday. The story that follows tries to identify and find the thief, and recover the gem.

Many experts suggest that "The Moonstone" developed many of the components modern detective fiction novels that followed. These include the use of red herrings, a proficient investigator, bumbling police officers, plot twists, and a reconstruction of the crime scene.

Answer: W. O. Mitchell

William Ormond Mitchell (March 13, 1914 - February 25, 1998) was a Canadian writer and radio broadcaster. He wrote a number of novels, plays, and television series. He was also well-known for broadcasting his series "Jake and the Kid" on the CBC Radio from 1950-1956. These stories were about the life of boys on the Canadian prairies. In fact, W. O. Mitchell has been called the Mark Twain of Canada because he has published so many stories about young boys on the Canadian prairies.

"Who Has Seen the Wind" was Mitchell's first novel. It was an immediate success with the critics and the general public when it was first published in 1947. The novel tells the story of a young boy growing up on the Canadian prairies after his father suddenly dies. He then struggles to understand various themes surrounding the cycles of life and death. Many high schools in Canada have "Who Has Seen the Wind" as required reading. "Quill & Quire", a Canadian literary magazine, listed "Who Has Seen the Wind" at Number 7 on their list of "Top 40 Canadian Novels of the 20th Century". Also, great Canadian actor Donald Sutherland read the following quote from the book at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC.

"I would walk to the end of the street and over the prairie with the clickety grasshoppers bunging in arcs ahead of me, and I could hear the hum and twang of wind in the great prairie harp of telephone wires. Standing there with the total thrust of prairie sun on my vulnerable head, I guess I learned at a very young age that I was mortal."

Answer: Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway (July 21, 1899 - July 2, 1961) was an American author and journalist. He authored many books and stories, and acted as a journalist in both Canada and the US during his lifetime. In 1954, Hemingway received the Nobel Prize in Literature after writing books such as "The Sun Also Rises", "A Farewell to Arms", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and "The Old Man and the Sea".

"The Sun Also Rises" is a novel that is based on actual events and people in Hamingway's life. It tells the story of a group of American and British expatriates who are friends and lovers who travel between Paris and Pamplona, Spain. Love, bullfighting, friendships, and betrayal all make up various themes in this three-part novel. "The Sun Also Rises" was published in the US in October 1926. It was published under the title "Fiesta" in the UK in 1927. When it was published, it received mixed reviews from critics. Many critics liked the novel, but others felt that the characters and the story needed work. However, the general public enjoyed the book when it was first published. In recent years, some have begun to reject "The Sun Also Rises" because of its anti-semitism, homophobia, and misogynistic themes.

Answer: H. G. Wells

H(erbert) G(eorge) Wells (1866-1946) was an English novelist, journalist, sociologist, and historian, whose science-fiction stories have been filmed many times. "The Island of Dr. Moreau" was published in 1896. It tells the story of a shipwrecked man named Edward Prendick who ends up on an island with a mad scientist named Dr Moreau. The doctor is on the isolated island so he can engage in vivisection, or surgery on live creatures. The doctor attempts to create new beings by combining two or more creatures. The creatures that Dr Moreau is creating typically involve crossing a human with an animal. When he runs into the jungle to escape from the mad doctor, Prendick meets Ape-Man, Sloth-Man, and other beast-men who have formed a colony with laws to maintain order.

At one point, Dr Moreau states that he is not trying to make humans more animal-like, but is instead trying to make animals more human-like. This eases Prendick's mind knowing that the doctor will not use him to create a man-beast. Yet, he still must remain vigilant to protect himself from the creatures that live on the island. At one point, there is a revolt when the beast-men seem to want to revert to their animal-like traits. Prendick is able to escape the island when a lifeboat with two bodies in it washes ashore. He empties the boat and sails away to be rescued by a passing ship. He returns to England where he rarely discusses what he saw on the island.

Answer: Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie published "Midnight's Children" in 1981. The novel is a work of historical fiction that details the transition that occurred in India when it went from a colony of Britain to an independent nation, and the partition of the nation of Pakistan. The work is narrated by a character named Saleem Sinai who is born at midnight on August 15, 1947, exactly the moment when India is no longer a colony of Britain.

Salem finds that all children that were born in India between midnight and 1:00 am on August 15, 1947 are born with special powers. Salem is given the power of telepathy, and is able to act as a mental conduit for all of the children that were born at or shortly after midnight on his birthday. Using his telepathic powers, he is able to reach out to all of these children, and he organizes a "Midnight Children's Conference" where they can learn more about their special powers.

As Salem grows older, he is held as a political prisoner and is affected by the state of emergency that is declared by Indira Gandhi between 1975 and 1977. The emergency ends the strength of the special powers of the Midnight Children, so Saleem resolves to write the book as a way of informing his young son about the birth of the new nation.

"Midnight's Children" received many honours after it was published. It was awarded the Booker Prize in 1981, as well as the English Speaking Union Literary Award, and the James Tait Prize the same year. The book was also awarded The Best of the Booker prize twice, in 1993 (for the 25th anniversary of the award), and 2008 (for the 40th anniversary of the award).

Answer: Khaled Hosseini

"The Kite Runner" was published by Khaled Hosseini in 2003. It was the first novel by this author. It tells a multi-generational story from Afghanistan during the end of their monarchy through to the rise of the Taliban. The book is divided into three parts.

In Part One, the story focuses on two motherless boys. One, named Amir, is from a wealthy family, and the other is Hassan, the son of the servant to the wealthy family. They spend their days flying kites in competitions where fliers attempt to cut the strings of others, then capture the fallen kites. Hassan is assaulted by a bully when he attempts to capture a fallen kite, but Ali, who sees the assault, does not intervene. The son of the wealthy man is then guilt-ridden, and circumstances force the servant and his son to move away from the wealthy man's home.

In Part Two, the Soviets invade the country, and the wealthy man and his son Ali escape. They first head to Pakistan, then to California. Unfortunately, the father dies, but is able to give permission for his son to marry before that happens. After his marriage, Ali and his wife discover that they cannot have children. It is at this point that the son is summoned to Peshawar by his father's good friend who is also dying. Once there, he learns that Hassan was actually his half-brother. Unfortunately, Hassan and his wife had been killed by the Soviets during their invasion. This left their son Sohrab in an orphanage in Kabul. Ali confronts members of the Taliban, rescues the boy, and they return to the US. Even though the boy has been traumatized, he is able to smile when Ali takes him kite flying for the first time.

Answer: Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen (September 21, 1934 - November 7, 2016) was a Canadian poet, song-writer, and novelist. He wrote two novels during his lifetime. "Beautiful Losers" was the second, published in 1966. The book is set in the province of Quebec, and tells the story of a love triangle whose members share a fascination with 17th-century Mohawk saint Catherine Tekakwitha. The triangle is made up of the unnamed male narrator who is an authority on a certain vanishing indigenous tribe. The second member of the triangle is the narrator's wife. Her name is Edith, and she is a member of the vanishing tribe. The third member is a maniacal and domineering friend, who may only exist in the minds of the other two. Early in the book, Edith commits suicide. The remainder of the book deals with how the last two characters deal with sexual obsessions, mental health, and Québécois nationalism.

When "Beautiful Losers" was first published, sales were very slow. Many critics also did not like the book. However, over the years, critics have come to recognize that the book introduced postmodernism into Canadian literature. In 2005, it was chosen as a book in the "Canada Reads" competition that the CBC sponsors each year.

Answer: Colleen McCullough

"The Thornbirds" was published by Australian author Colleen McCullough in 1977. The book tells the story of the Cleary family who move from New Zealand to a sheep ranch in New South Wales, Australia. The sheep station is owned by the sister of the Cleary father, Mary Carson. There, they meet Ralph de Bricassart, a priest who has been stationed in the remote area because he insulted the bishop. Mary tries to tempt the priest to break his vows, but he doesn't, hoping instead to receive a donation from the wealthy Mary to help clear his name with the bishop.

There is unrest in the Cleary family when it is revealed that the oldest son was conceived during an affair that the mother had with a married politician in New Zealand before she married Paddy Cleary. Frank, the oldest son, runs away to become a prizefighter. In the meantime, the only Cleary daughter Meggie is drawn to Ralph de Bricassart as a source of mentorship and comfort. The aunt, and owner of the sheep station also re-writes her will. It is revealed that she is an extremely wealthy woman, and that she plans to leave the bulk of her estate to the Catholic Church. When the aunt dies and her fortune is revealed, Ralph de Bricassart moves to Sydney as he rises in the church hierarchy, but not before Meggie confesses her love to him.

Tragedies strike the Cleary family including the oldest son being convicted of murder, and the deaths of the father and a son. Meggie marries a ne'er-do-well sheep shearer who leaves her shortly after the honeymoon. He returns to her occasionally, but steals her money and doesn't settle down permanently. Meggie gives birth to a daughter named Justine. Meggie is very unhappy until Ralph de Bricassart comes for a visit and they are able to consummate their love. The priest does not leave the church, so heads back to Rome where he has risen to over the years. Meggie is pregnant, though, and gives birth to a son who looks like Ralph de Bricassart. The child grows up and decides to become a priest, but dies a premature death while on vacation in Greece. Ralph de Bricassart attends the funeral, where his relationship with the deceased is revealed. He dies in Maggie's arms after the funeral.

Answer: E. M. Forster

"A Room With a View" was published by E. M. Forster in 1908. The novel is divided into two parts. The first part takes place in Florence where two English ladies, Lucy Honeychurch and her fussy cousin Charlotte Bartlett, who is acting as chaperone, are touring the country. They are disappointed by the assigned rooms that they receive in their lodging because they were promised a room view of the River Arno, but all they see out their window is a courtyard. Two other guests, Mr Emerson and his son George, offer to switch rooms with them. The following day, Lucy gets lost with an acquaintance who eventually abandons her in front of a church in an unfamiliar area of the city. Inside the church, she finds the Emersons and ends up crossing paths with them as they each explore Florence.

Later, Lucy, Charlotte, the Emersons, and a few other tourists take a tour of an area of Florence in horse-drawn carriages. At one point, they all head out separately to enjoy the view, and Lucy bumps into George. They exchange a kiss, but are interrupted by Charlotte. Lucy promises that she won't tell her mother that Charlotte failed as a chaperone, and the two women leave for Rome the next day.

In Part Two of the book, the women are back in London, and Lucy becomes engaged to a man named Cecil. A local villa is rented to the Emersons by the vicar Mr Beebe, and George becomes friendly with Lucy's brother Freddy. After an altercation over a tennis game, Lucy ends her engagement with Cecil and decides to go to Greece. Before she leaves, she bumps into Mr Emerson where she is forced to admit that she has loved George all along. The novel ends after George and Lucy have eloped to Florence.