A Scribble Of Irish Authors Trivia Quiz

Answer: James Joyce

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" was the first novel from James Joyce. It is the story of a young man determined to become an artist, who believes the only way he can do that is to leave family and friends behind and go into exile.

The novel was set in Dublin and was published in 1916. A movie adaptation was made in 1977 and starred Bosco Hagen as the artist, T. P. McKenna, and John Gielgud.

Joyce was to find greater fame for "Ulysses" and "Finnegan's Wake". Of the former, "obscure" and "hard to read" were probably two of the kinder criticisms. Ulysses" certainly wore Joyce out: after completing it he did not write again for over a year. Indeed, both books mentioned were in the top two spots on a 'most difficult novels' list produced by Goodreads website.

"Ulysses" was made into a movie in 1967 and attracted mixed reactions from the critics. In Ireland it was banned as "subversive to public morality". The ban was not lifted until 2000.

Answer: Maeve Binchy

For decades Maeve Binchy was one of Ireland's best known and top-selling actors. She found her stories in life in rural Ireland and wrote with affection and humour.

Binchy, who died in Dublin in 2012 at the age of 72, is estimated to have sold 40 million copies of her 16 novels, four collections of short stories, and a novella. She also wrote a play.

All this came after a difficult start in writing: five publishers rejected her first novel "Light A Penny Candle". It was published in 1982 and became a best seller.

In 1998 she published "Tara Road", the story of a seemingly contented family - mother, father, and two kids - that was shattered when the husband announced he was leaving for his pregnant girlfriend. A house-share with a grieving American woman proves to be a revelation for the mother, and leads to a firm friendship. "Tara Road" was made into a movie in 2005.

Answer: Edna O'Brien

"The Country Girls" was a trilogy of novels published in 1960, 1962, and 1964.

The first, "The County Girls", told the story of two young women raised in an Irish rural setting growing to adulthood in Dublin. Over four years they turned from innocent girls to women experienced in the ways of the world, and men. 'Adult themes' meant the book was banned by Irish censors.

Part two, "The Lonely Girl", continued the story of Kate and Baba as young twenty-something women leaving unhappy relationships for the delights London. The final part, "Girls in Their Married Bliss", picked up the story of the two friends as married women.

The story was picked up on the silver screen when Edna O'Brien wrote the screenplay for "The Country Girls", which was released in 1983. Maeve Germaine and Jill Doyle played the lead characters, with Sam Neil as the important male influence.

O'Brien's first novel was published in 1960 and she was still writing 60 years later.

Answer: John Banville

"The Sea" won John Banville a Booker Prize in 2005. The 'Booker' was the most prestigious literary award for British and Irish writers.

This is the story a retired art historian writing a journal of his life and relationships. It is set in the seaside town where the historian had spent his childhood and where he returns to deal with the death of his wife.

All is not as it seems and as the story progresses, we learn that there are things from his childhood that the history has repressed, but which come to the fore again.

Banville was born in Wexford and his writing career began in 1971, although he later derided his first novel "Nightspawn". In 1998 his novel "The Book of Evidence" was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and he won the Kafka Prize in 2011.

Answer: Oscar Wilde

Described as a moral fantasy, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" features a title character who is a wealthy, cultured and handsome young man. He catches the attention of an artist who paints several portraits of him in glorious mythological settings.

However, it is a painting of Dorian Gray as himself that is to create problems. He vainly declares he would sell his soul if the portrait image was to grow old while he would have eternal youth as depicted in the painting.

A dramatic life follows, in which Dorian ruins lives and even commits murder. While the painting had been hidden from view for some years, there is to be a fateful realisation by Dorian.

Answer: Abraham Stoker

Abraham 'Bram' Stoker published "Dracula" in 1897. It was, he claimed, based on fact.

In the story, Count Dracula travels from Transylvania to England to seek - literally - new blood. While we never learn exactly how the count became a vampire, it is clear he needs fresh blood to maintain his existence. Those whose blood he tastes turn into vampires themselves.

Dracula has super strength, and each victim's blood makes him harder to kill. Can he be killed, though? That is a question posed in the novel and you can read it yourself to find out.

The first official screen adaptation of the story was released in 1931 and starred Bella Lugosi. It is estimated that more than 200 movies or television productions followed.

Answer: Flann O'Brien

Flann O'Brien was one of the pseudonyms of the writer Brian O'Nolan. He also wrote newspaper articles under the name Myles na gCopaleen.

O'Brien was a master of whimsical and fantastical prose. There were few limits to the breadth of his imagery, no matter how absurd it was. Described in a review in "The Guardian" newspaper as "labyrinthine and multilayered", in 1939 "At Swim-Two-Birds" was O'Nolan's debut novel.

Now, describing the plot lines of any O'Nolan novel is not easy - if plot lines there are. "At Swim..." was set in an Irish public house and featured a group of characters, all with a story to tell. As with all his works, it is better to suspend disbelief and go with the flow. O'Nolan's works are the prose of the absurd. Nothing is as it seems and the best advice is to expect the unexpected.

When it was published, "At Swim..." met with puzzlement among many critics, even though Graham Greene and James Joyce lauded it.

Answer: Roddy Doyle

"Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" won the Booker prize in 1993. Like others among the 11 novels he has published, it was set in his native Dublin. Doyle received acclaim for his earlier works "The Commitments", "The Snapper", "The Van" and "Smile".

"Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" is the story of a 10-year-old delinquent who understands his own place in the grand scheme of things but struggles to understand why others do not know theirs. The book was well received by the critics: some even drew parallels with James Joyce and his "A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man" - comparisons that Doyle is reported to dislike.

Answer: Oliver Goldsmith

"The Vicar of Wakefield" was published in 1766 and became a popular work in its day.

It is the self-told story of a Church of England vicar and his family who are faced with a series of tribulations. The vicar is moral and religious, but lacks wisdom in the ways of the world. How he reacts to loss, poverty, and general misfortune are at the core of book, which was first published in two volumes.

Answer: Colm Tóibín

"Brooklyn" was Costa Novel Of The Year winner in 2009. Two other Colm Tóibín works appeared on the longest for the Booker Prize, and two were shortlisted.

This is the story of a jobless young woman who leaves Ireland to find work and a new life in New York City. She also finds a husband, but there is tragedy when her sister dies. On returning to Ireland, problems emerge when her family expects her to marry a man she meets and is attracted to - she not having told them of the New York marriage. Her dilemma is whether to stay in Ireland and build a relationship, or return to New York.

The story was adapted for the big screen in 2015 and was a multiple award winner.