Authors and their Works Trivia

61. 'Agents Nicholas and David reported a twist in their investigation. While searching for important stolen papers in London and Paris, a tip from a mutual friend led to their recovery in Portsmouth.' What writer committed the crime?

From Quiz Prose and Cons

Answer: Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England in 1812. Among his published works are "Nicholas Nickleby" (1838), "David Copperfield" (1850), "Oliver Twist" (1838), "The Pickwick Papers" (1836), and "A Tale of Two Cities (1859). The two cities in question in the latter, of course, were London and Paris. Lastly, there is also "Our Mutual Friend", published in 1864. Over his writing career, Dickens published 15 novels along with hundreds of short stories.

From Quiz You Learn Something New Everyday

Answer: Johannes Trithemius

Johannes Trithemius, also known as Johann Heidenberg, was born in Trittenheim, Germany, in 1462. His step-father didn't believe in education, so he secretly learned Greek, Latin and Hebrew. In 1479 he left home, ending up at the University of Heidelberg. On a trip back to his home in 1482 he took shelter from a snowstorm in Benedictine abbey, and decided to stay, where in 1483 he was elected abbot. He made the abbey into a disciplined place of learning, increasing the library by 4,000%. However, his interest in the occult caused friction and he resigned and took a position as abbot to an abbey in Wurzburg where he remained until his death. Among his students were Paracelsus and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. "Steganographia" was Trithemius' most famous work, a three-volume work. It was written about 1499 and was circulated in manuscript form. It was finally published in 1606 and in 1609 was put on the prohibited list by the Catholic church and was not removed until 1900. The book has lent its name to the modern day field of steganography, the art and science of "concealed writing". In fact, "Steganographia" itself was a book about cryptography and steganography disguised as a book on magic. "Riptide" is about finding the treasure of the "Red" Ned Ockham who alledgedly hid it in a pit on an island. Over the years the people trying to find it have been killed and/or gone bankrupt. In this new attempt, a journal has been found written by the architect Ockham had taken prisoner who had engineered the pit. In invisible writing in the margins is code. Therefore, a cryptographer had Trithemius' volume, along with others, to try to decode the script.

From Quiz Classical Literature

Answer: The Scarlet Letter

The people in the book only found out that she had committed adultery because she suddenly got pregnant. Her husband was not around at the time because he was working in a different city, so they knew it was not his child.

From Quiz Our Favorite Books

Answer: 1970s

Roots traces the struggle of African-American people in the United States from their African roots to modern times. The mini-series was one of the most watched at the time and was influential in changing the perceptions of many Americans in regard to race and color. Haley had had previous success with "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (1965) based on thirty interviews with Malcolm. He was also a screenwriter and an interviewer for Playboy magazine. Haley claimed to have been a descendant of characters in his book but this was proven false by researchers Elizabeth and Gary Milles. "Roots" was found to have 81 passages that had been 'borrowed' from Harold Courlander's book, "The African" (1967). Courlander was awarded $650,000 United States dollars in the plagiarism suit. Haley's work has been not included in the "Norton Anthology of African-American Literature". The reason given is "Roots is a work of the imagination rather than strict historical scholarship". But it was translated into 37 languages and the initial run of mini-series was seen by an estimated 130 million people.

From Quiz Hi Ho, Hi Ho, to the Library We Will Go...

Answer: Beat to Quarters

Although "The Happy Return" was the first of C.S. Forester's "Hornblower" stories to be published, in 1937, it actually lies seventh when all the books are read in chronological plot order. Several of the books had alternative titles for different markets.

From Quiz Jane in the Jungle With a Twist

Answer: Jane Eyre

Structured in two parts - Jane's childhood and adulthood - Jane is the structural link that holds the novel together. Narrated in the first person, Jane tells her story as if writing a letter to a friend. The themes of maturation, religion, equality and fantasy versus reality imbue the novel with a depth of emotional weight. While the basic plot can be condensed to a few simple sentences - An orphaned Jane is sent away from her cold-hearted aunt's house, and spends several years at Lowood, a charity school. Old enough to seek a position, she secures one at Thornfield, proceeds to fall in love with the gruff and selfish Mr. Rochester. Over time, and after growing into her self-assurance and individuality, Jane finds happiness - the story is complex enough to inspire countless critiques and discussions. Charlotte Bronte published 'Jane Eyre' in 1847, under the pseudonym of Currer Bell.

From Quiz Get Off There; You're a Cat!

Answer: The Old Curiosity Shop

"Oliver Twist" follows the fortunes of the orphaned Oliver and "David Copperfield" charts the story of its eponymous hero. "Great Expectations" is about the life of Philip "Pip" Pirrip, whilst "The Old Curiosity Shop" details the life of Nell Tennant and her grandfather.

From Quiz A Remembrance of Books Past

Answer: Herman Wouk

Here is another of my favorites which has left an indelible stamp on my mind not just from reading the novel but also from seeing the movie. Who can ever forget Humphrey Bogart as Captain Queeg? In researching this novel, I learned a new grammatical term, "anadiplosis". Anadiplosis in English grammar is a rhetorical device that uses repetition of a word or phrase. (Look! I just used it). This line from "The Caine Mutiny" is given as an example of anadiplosis, and is said by Captain Queeg to his crew: "Aboard my ship excellent performance is standard. Standard performance is sub-standard. Sub-standard performance is not permitted to exist".

From Quiz Whose Plot Is It Anyway?

Answer: "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Truman Capote was a close friend of Harper Lee, author of "To Kill A Mockingbird". "In Cold Blood" is often thought of as the defining work of Capote's career, though "Breakfast At Tiffany's" has enjoyed greater exposure due to its adaptation to screen with Audrey Hepburn.

From Quiz The Well of Lost Plots

Answer: Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming was the author of the "James Bond" series as well as "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Ian Fleming wrote twelve novels and nine short stories about James Bond in his lifetime. He wrote "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in 1964 (the same year that he died).

From Quiz Authors (Quartette)

Answer: The Etruscan

Waltari wrote 29 novels and 26 plays, among other works. "The Hobbit" was written by J.R.R. Tolkien, while "The Virginian" was a Western novel written by Owen Wister. "The Cossack" was a short story by Anton Chekhov.

From Quiz Favourite Authors

Answer: Philippa Carr

She also wrote romance novels under the name of Victoria Holt.

From Quiz Literature Grab Bag

Answer: Mary Shelley

Though there are some who believe that Percy Bysshe Shelley actually wrote "Frankenstein", his wife, Mary Shelley, is the generally accepted author of the novel. Mary wrote that the idea for the novel came to her in a dream.

From Quiz Author! Author!

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

Poe released his first book "Tamerlane and Other Poems" in 1827 while enlisted in the U.S. Army.

From Quiz Who Wrote That?

Answer: Charles Dickens

"A Tale of Two Cities" was written in three books. It is one of the most famous fiction books. It begins with the famous lines, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....'

From Quiz Books You Shouldn't Read Before You Die?

Answer: Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand is author of "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged." She was an opponent of communism and collectivism and a proponent of individualism and capitalism.

From Quiz Name That Author

Answer: Mark Twain

Mark Twain's real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens.

From Quiz Background of Famous Fiction

Answer: Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson said that he was wrestling with the idea of writing a story about the "double nature" of man when a dream helped crystallize matters. His tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde resulted.

From Quiz Books I Was Forced to Read

Answer: Madame Bovary

"Madame Bovary" was considered very controversial when it was first published in 1857, but it is now an established staple of many curriculums. In Gustave Flaubert's own day, the book was put on trial, and the author was attacked for glorifying adultery.

From Quiz Authors Authors Who Are These Authors?

Answer: The Little House in the Big Woods

The base for the popular TV series 'Little House On The Prairie' she had her first book published in 1932 at tha age of 65. She also wrote 'Farmer Boy' 1933, 'Little House On The Prairie 1935, 'On the Banks of Plum Creek' 1937 and 'By the Shores of Silver Lake' 1939.

From Quiz Name The Writer

Answer: Jeanette Winterson

Jeanette Winterson was born in Manchester and grew up in Accrington where her adoptive, deeply religious (and possibly mentally ill) parents brought her up in a way that might be seen as overly harsh in these days, for instance locking her out of the house overnight for minor disobedience. Winterson was thrown out of her home at the age of 16 for coming out as a lesbian, but was able to support herself through part-time jobs as she gained an education, eventually reading English at Oxford University. Her life up to this point is recounted in fictional form in her best-known book, 'Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit'.

From Quiz Stuck at Home? Revisit Books and Authors

Answer: Percy B. Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), although not recognized during his short life, was one of the greatest English Romantic poets, with an important influence on subsequent generations of poets. He wrote several pamphlets and poems including "The Necessity of Atheism" and "Ozymandias". In 1820, he composed his masterpiece, the lyrical drama "Prometheus Unbound", which was published together with the short poems "Ode to the West Wind" and "To a Skylark". He had a short and tumultuous life. He was rebellious and expelled from Oxford, dabbled in numerous love relationships, and pursued social justice. While married, in 1814, he fled to France with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, later known as Mary Shelley, author of the Gothic novel "Frankenstein", whom he finally married in 1816 after his wife's suicide. In 1822, at just 29 years old, he drowned while sailing along the Italian coast.

From Quiz More Authors for the literary minded

Answer: John Grisham

From Quiz Authors

Answer: John Steinbeck

From Quiz Authors of Famous Books

Answer: Jane Austen

From Quiz Three of a Mind

Answer: George Orwell & Orwell

Big Brother is watching!

From Quiz Test Your Book Knowledge

Answer: Chinua Achebe

From Quiz Author Who?

Answer: Alexander Dumas & Alexandre Dumas & dumas

He also wrote a five part series which includes 'The Three Musketeers', 'Twenty Years After' and 'The Man in the Iron Mask'.

From Quiz Books and Authors

Answer: Robert M. Pirsig

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