Writing About Writers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nothing Like the Sun

Written in 1964, "Nothing Like the Sun: A Story of Shakespeare's Love Life" was written by Anthony Burgess. The story is formed around a professor giving a lecture, and, as the title says, tells the partly-fact and partly-fiction story of Shakespeare's love life.

The title of the book comes from Shakespeare's own Sonnet 130, which begins as "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun".

Answer: The Hours

"The Hours" was written by Michael Cunningham in 1998. It was the 1999 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It centers around three different women, in three different eras, who are all connected by Virginia Woolf's book "Mrs. Dalloway". One of those three women in the book is the author herself.

In 2002, a film adaption was made, starring Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf, as well as Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore. It won Kidman an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2022, an opera version of "The Hours" was even made!

Answer: Arthur & George

Written by Julian Barnes in 2005, "Arthur & George" tells the story of two very different men who are linked together. Arthur is, of course, Arthur Conan Doyle, and George is George Endalji, a half-Indian man who is convicted for a crime he did not commit. Doyle tries to clear Endalji's name, appropriately for someone who is known for writing the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.

In 2015, ITV made a television series of the novel, also named "Arthur & George", starring Martin Clunes as Arthur.

Answer: The Pale Blue Eye

When a murder is committed at West Point Academy, the former detective Augustus Landor takes the case--with the help of a young cadet, named Edgar Allan Poe. That's the synopsis of "The Pale Blue Eye", written by Louis Bayard.

Written in 2006, the book is set in 1830. It was made into a film in 2022, and starred, to name a few, Christian Bale and Gillian Anderson.

Answer: The Twelfth Enchantment

Written in 2011, "The Twelfth Enchantment" is set during the days of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. It is by author David Liss.

The story revolves around a young lady named Lucy Derrick, who is in straightened circumstances. When an ill Lord Byron, the poet with a bad reputation, arrives on her doorstep with a message for her, however, she is thrown into an adventure. It is a story of magic and mysticism.

Answer: The Razor's Edge

Yes, although W. Somerset Maugham wrote "The Razor's Edge", he also wrote himself into the story as a minor character! He manages this through saying that the story is based on a true account. It centers around Larry Darrel and his experiences and spiritual path following World War I.

Written in 1944, the book was also adapted for film; a 1946 version starred Tyrone Power, with Herbert Marshall playing W. Somerset Maugham. In 1984 a second version was made, starring Bill Murray.

Answer: The Blue Flower

"The Blue Flower" is an historical novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. It follows the life of Friedrich von Hardenberg, known as Fritz in the novel but known by his pen name, Novalis, to the rest of the world. It explores his domestic life and the life that he made for himself, including his poetry and his mystical religious views.

Written in 1995, "The Blue Flower" was Fitzgerald's last book before she died in 2000. She had previously won the Booker Prize for her 1979 novel "Offshore".

Answer: The Master

"The Master" was written by Colm Tóibín in 2004. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and won the 2006 International Dublin Literary Award, as well as the Stonewall Book Award and the Lambda Literary Award.

"The Master" is a story of the life of Henry James, between 1895 and 1899. It reflects on his home life, his writing, and his views on the world.

Answer: The Divine Comedy

"Inferno", a part of Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy", actually features the Roman poet Virgil. The poem is told through Dante's eyes. As Dante takes a tour through Hell, Virgil guides him, and together they go through the Nine Circles of Hell.

Written between about 1308 and 1321, "The Divine Comedy" is considered to be the most classic literary description of the afterlife after the Bible. Other guides who accompany Dante are Beatrice, who represents divine love, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

Answer: The Wild Girl

"The Wild Girl" is the story of Dortchen Wild, a girl who is in love with Wilhelm Grimm, one of the Grimm Brothers of fairy tale fame. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the story describes the Grimm brothers' fight to save old stories as their country falls under French rule. Dortchen falls more in love as she tells the tales that she knows to Wilhelm.

"The Wild Girl" was written by Kate Forsyth. It was published in 2013.