Robert Harris Trivia

1. The original ghostwriter for the controversial former British Prime Minister Adam Lang dies and needs to be replaced. What is the name of that first ghostwriter?

From Quiz "The Ghost" by Robert Harris

Answer: Mike McAra

Michael McAra was commissioned to ghostwrite the autobiography of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang. Unfortunately McAra jumped from a ferry to his death. Lang's team looks for a new ghostwriter and finds someone who at first seems unsuitable as they've only written for aging rock and film stars. The new ghostwriter agrees to the job and the novel is told from his point of view. We never find out his name.

From Quiz "Archangel" - Robert Harris' Third Novel

Answer: Moscow

Unlike Robert Harris' previous novels, this story is set in the present day. 1998 to be exact, when the book was written, not WW2 or a what-if world after Hitler won WW2. This story is about Stalin, and a secret he took to his grave.

From Quiz Robert Harris' "Imperium"

Answer: Tiro

Tiro is argued to be a real person who actually wrote an account of Cicero's life, though this is contested.

From Quiz "Enigma" - Robert Harris' Second Novel

Answer: Tom Jericho

I always pictured Tom looking like Elijah Wood (Frodo from "The Lord of the Rings" movies) but they cast Doughray Scott for the 2002 movie. Very different! (I still think Elijah Wood...I mean WOULD have been better)

From Quiz Fatherland - Germany Won WW2 (The Novel)

Answer: Major

It was stated in the first chapter that March's police rank was the same as a major, though it's not a major part of the plot.

From Quiz "The Ghost" by Robert Harris

Answer: Martha's Vineyard

Adam Lang is embroiled in all kinds of trouble as he's waiting to find out if he's going to be brought up on charges of war crimes. He is staying on the island of Martha's Vineyard in a well secured and guarded house with bulletproof glass, lots of security and helicopter sweeps. The new ghostwriter is brought in from London, England to the United States to work with him and at first stays in a hotel in town but is later brought to the house to live and work, for security purposes.

From Quiz "Archangel" - Robert Harris' Third Novel

Answer: Lecturer of Soviet History

Kelso is in Moscow as a lecturer for the symposium of western visitors. He used to have a promising career lecturing and writing books about Soviet Russia, particularly Josef Stalin. Then he became too fond of alcohol and had three failed marriages and two sons he never sees. His career is in such bad shape many wonder why he has been invited to the symposium. (The real reason becomes clear at the end of the story).

From Quiz Robert Harris' "Imperium"

Answer: Sthenius

Heraclius, Sthenius and Epicrates were all agreived, but it was Sthenius who first made his complaint to Cicero.

From Quiz "Enigma" - Robert Harris' Second Novel

Answer: Cambridge

Since this novel is about code-breaking you can probably guess he was one of their top mathematics students. In real life Winston Churchill ordered that "no stone be left unturned when recruiting for Bletchley Park". In 1941 he actually visited the place, took one look at the teams of cryptanalysts and muttered to the director on his way out "I didn't expect you to take me literally."

From Quiz Fatherland - Germany Won WW2 (The Novel)

Answer: Josef Buhler

As one reads later, all four men attended the infamous 1942 Wannsee Conference. March was assigned to Buhler's body on the shore of the Havel lake and about 24 hours later Buhler's old colleague Stuckart is found shot in his apartment. Martin Luther (yes, that was his real name) has gone into hiding, correctly suspecting he was next on the Gestapo's hit-list. Eichmann, supposedly, died of a heart attack in 1961, the year before he was really executed in Israel.

From Quiz "The Ghost" by Robert Harris

Answer: Kate

Kate is not a fan of Adam Lang because of his controversial time as Prime Minister and his cooperation with the United States government around the treatment of suspected terrorists. When she finds out that her boyfriend agrees to work with Adam Lang therefore agreeing to show him in a favourable light in an autobiography, she leaves. Later we find out that she has met someone else.

From Quiz "Archangel" - Robert Harris' Third Novel

Answer: He was present when Stalin died

Josef Stalin was the worst leader in the history of the USSR. His record for brutality, murder, and purges put him on the same level as Hitler. But the allies needed his help to beat Germany in World War 2 so they tried to overlook that. It's now 45 years since the night Stalin died of a stroke but Papu Rapava was there and shares a secret with Kelso. Kelso is listening intently; both men have had a *few* drinks. That night, when it was clear Stalin was about to die, Rapava was ordered by his superior Lavrenty Beria to drive to the Kremlin. The two men retrieved a notebook of Stalin's and buried it in Beria's backyard. Later they were both arrested and tortured but neither man ever revealed its location. Beria has been dead a long time but Rapava still lives despite 15 years in a Gulag. Despite his ruined life, Rapava is still a huge admirer of Stalin (not least because Russia is in chaos and many are crying out for a new leader). He tells Kelso where the notebook is buried but then he runs out of the hotel. Kelso can't stop him, because he's too busy being sick due to drinking.

From Quiz Robert Harris' "Imperium"

Answer: Glabrio

It was of course, Glabrio, the friend of Pompey. Gallus was a senator who decided not to run for consul. Galba did run for consul and then withdrew, and Gabinius was one of Pompey's supporters.

From Quiz "Enigma" - Robert Harris' Second Novel

Answer: Hester Wallace

In the movie Hester was played by Kate Winslet. And I thought that was much better casting!

From Quiz "The Ghost" by Robert Harris

Answer: He is mugged

Before heading over to the United States, the new ghostwriter attends a meeting in London that is like an interview to assess if he is the right person for the job. At the end of the meeting he is not only given the job but also a manuscript. He takes the heavy manuscript home with him and as he arrives on his street, he is mugged, beaten up and the manuscript is stolen. It's a first little clue that all is not what it seems in the situation he's getting himself mixed up in.

From Quiz "Archangel" - Robert Harris' Third Novel

Answer: Mamantov

Vladimir Mamantov has been under the surveillance of the Russian secret police for some time. They know he is ex-KGB and somehow responsible for half a billion rubles disappearing but they can't prove it. Little do they know he also has a strong interest in Kelso's quest to find Stalin's papers. Kelso visits Mamantov's flat for advice, telling him what happened. After Kelso leaves, getting little help, Mamantov goes out. Normally officers would tail him, but he's disguised as his wife. By the time the poor woman gets free of her bonds and the neighbours hear her cries for help, Mamantov has vanished. Crafty devil!

From Quiz Robert Harris' "Imperium"

Answer: Caelius

It was Caelius who showed Tiro the spying place behind the tapestry.

From Quiz "Enigma" - Robert Harris' Second Novel

Answer: Bletchley Park

Today Bletchley Park is a muesuem. If I ever go to England I'll visit it. (N.B. The name is actually in the quiz's introduction so I hope you got it!)

From Quiz Fatherland - Germany Won WW2 (The Novel)

Answer: Journalist

It is quite a shame Charlie and March could not get to America together, they could have been so happy (sniff, sniff). Then again, March had failed in relationships many times because he really preferred solitude, so maybe not.

From Quiz "The Ghost" by Robert Harris

Answer: Amelia Bly

Adam Lang has a personal assistant named Amelia Bly who is involved in just about every aspect of his life. She coordinates for him, organizes his day and meets people on his behalf. She is also in a personal relationship with him that his wife is quite aware of. When the new ghostwriter arrives at the house, there is an air of tension about the place not only because of the high profile pending charges against Lang but also because of the coldness between the two women in Lang's life.

From Quiz "Archangel" - Robert Harris' Third Novel

Answer: His daughter

When Rapava flees Kelso's hotel he leaves behind a book of matches bearing the name "Robotnik", a bar. Kelso has made up his mind: he wants to find Stalin's papers, even if it is just a hoax. So the next day he finds the house where Rapava said Beria used to live. It's now deserted and Kelso goes to the orchard where Rapava buried Stalin's papers in 1953. But they have since been dug up. Quite recently too, judging by the soil. So naturally Kelso's next step is to find the old man. He goes to the Robotnik and slips the bartender some money to tell him where Rapava is. The bartender points towards the back of the dance floor...at an attractive woman. It's the wrong Rapava. It's Papu's daughter, who comes here some nights to earn extra money. She eventually agrees to take Kelso to her father's apartment. She quickly drives away once she drops him off, and poor Kelso comes across the dead body of her father! Old Rapava was apparently tortured and murdered, then his flat was ransacked.

From Quiz "Enigma" - Robert Harris' Second Novel

Answer: Alan Turing

Alan Turing is mentioned fairly frequently but we only ever get to see him in Tom's flashbacks. Turing is pretty much the only character in this book who really existed. The story is said to be real (as are all the quoted German signals) but all characters are invented.

From Quiz "The Ghost" by Robert Harris

Answer: Do not make a copy or remove it from the house

The new ghostwriter is instructed that he must only work on the draft while he is at the house where the Langs are living. He can't understand why because when he reads the draft, he finds it awfully boring and lacking anything controversial. It's also challenging because he has a very short amount of time to re-write the awful draft and meet the deadline by the publisher. He is staying at a hotel in town and not at the house at first, so he looks for a way to get a copy so that he can work in the evening. He manages to download a copy of the draft at the Lang house onto his laptop and when he gets back to the hotel, realizes with horror that it has been removed. It makes him wonder what was actually in it that was so important.

From Quiz "Archangel" - Robert Harris' Third Novel

Answer: Reporter

Poor Kelso is frequently bothered by O'Brian. The ubiquitous reporter wants a story, and eventually (after enough nagging) Kelso agrees to join forces. As for poor Kelso, he's had to spend the night in jail after calling the police about the body. He is eventually freed by the secret police who know he had nothing to do with the murder. However they blame him for the murder anyway since Kelso visited Mamantov and hinted someone had told him where to find Stalin's notebook. Such a hint could have only meant the old man. They "suggest" Kelso leave Russia today with the rest of the symposium lecturers. He almost does, but at the airport he sees Zinaida Rapava. She mentions her father sent her a note the day before he was murdered. They hadn't spoken for years (which is why she didn't hang around after dropping Kelso off last night) but his note was full of apologies. Not just for being a bad father but for things from her adulthood. He also hints where he'd hidden Stalin's notebook. It's now clear he was the one who dug it up and didn't tell Mamantov and his goons where to find it - otherwise they wouldn't have turned his flat upside-down after killing him. Kelso almost goes to catch his plane, but decides this is the chance of a lifetime and leaves with Zinaida instead.

From Quiz Robert Harris' "Imperium"

Answer: Two

They both died of fever. Quintus and his father, Metellus Pius. survived to the end and voted for Cicero.

From Quiz "The Ghost" by Robert Harris

Answer: Ruth

Ruth Lang is the wife of the Prime Minister. She is a formidable force and does not want to stay in the United States. She believes that Adam should go back to England and face the public there. She also does not get along well with Adam's personal assistant because she is aware of their relationship. One night she is sitting and drinking with the new ghostwriter and they end up drinking too much and sleeping together, further complicating an already stressful and complex situation.

From Quiz "Archangel" - Robert Harris' Third Novel

Answer: A garage

The English lecturer and the Russian woman drive to a cluster of rental garages. Mamantov is still at large so they keep checking for tails. The garages are miles from the airport so Kelso knows the chances of catching his flight are not terribly high. But he does not care about that, nor the fact he has ignored the wishes of the police. He is so excited! He could find Stalin's missing papers and become famous. Zinaida says her father used to rent this particular garage when she was a child. He left her a key in his note, plus hints suggesting this place. When they get inside it's obviously the right place: there are posters of Stalin everywhere! They locate the precious notebook - then suddenly hear an engine and footsteps outside. They panic, but it's only O'Brian. He takes them back to his news building so they can study the papers together.

From Quiz "Enigma" - Robert Harris' Second Novel

Answer: "Shark" had suddenly been blacked out

Tom was laughing when they said they needed him back because he had been so convinced they were actually about to sack him. "Shark" was the nickname for the code the German Submarines (U-Boats) used. It was the most difficult one to break, yet Tom had managed it before. Now they needed him to do it again, in less than four days time, because convoys were sailing from New York at that very moment. Not that they wanted to put any pressure on him or anything.

From Quiz Fatherland - Germany Won WW2 (The Novel)

Answer: Zaugg and Cie

Herr Zaugg was "like a little doll: silver hair, shiny pink face, tiny hands and feet." Cie is the equivilent of "Co" in Switzerland. 22 years earlier Luther had opened a wartime vault at the bank. Bahnhof Strasse is the bank's street address in Zurich. Nebe and Heydrich are actually high-ranking members of the SS, though I would not put it past them to illegally create a swiss banking firm to earn themselves extra money!

From Quiz "The Ghost" by Robert Harris

Answer: CIA

The new ghostwriter follows a path that has been left behind by the former ghostwriter and ends up down a rabbit hole of mystery and conspiracies. He uncovers information about Adam Lang and manipulates him into confessing about his role in the seizure and torture of four men, one of whom died. While the ghostwriter is going down this intricate path, he uncovers a puzzle about what was in the boring draft that was so important. The first word of every chapter show that Mrs. Lang was actually working for the CIA. This puts the new ghostwriter in a dangerous situation and raises serious questions about the death of the former ghostwriter.

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