Copywrite or Wrong? Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Invisible Man

"The Invisible Man" was written by H.G. Wells and originally published serially in Pearson's Weekly in 1897 (not to be confused with Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man"). The novella is about a scientist named Griffin who invents a way to change the body's "refractive index" so no light is absorbed, thereby rendering the individual invisible. "Around the World in 80 Days" is about Phileas Fogg who makes a bet to go around the world in 80 days. "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" relates the tale of Otto Lidenbrock and his adventures beneath the Earth. "20,000 Leagues..." tells about the mysterious Captain Nemo who lives under the sea, in the ship called the Nautilus.

Answer: Isaac Asimov

From the fertile mind of Isaac Asimov comes the trilogy, i.e., "Foundation", "Foundation and Empire", and "Second Foundation", which won the Hugo Award in 1966 as 'Best All-Time Series'. Beginning in 1981 he added two sequels ("Foundation's Edge" and "Foundation and Earth") and two prequels ("Prelude to Foundation" and "Forward to Foundation").

As for the other famous novelists: Sinclair Lewis authored "Main Street"; Upton Sinclair described the conditions in the meat-packing industry in "The Jungle"; John Cheever, called "the Chekov of the suburbs", wrote "The Wapshot Chronicle" and "The Swimmer".

Answer: Arrowsmith

Martin Arrowsmith, a medical scientist, is the protagonist of Sinclair Lewis' "Arrowsmith" published in 1925. Through Martin, the novel decries the commercialism and greed in the medical profession (before malpractice suits) and the doctor's yearning for "true science". Lewis was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for the novel, but refused to accept it.

In Fitzgerald's books: "Tender Is the Night" relates the life of psychologist Dr. Dick Diver and his wife Nicole; "Gatsby" tells the story the life and loves of Jay Gatsby in the town of West Egg; "The Love of the Last Tycoon" is an unfinished 'roman a clef' about Hollywood, published posthumously.

Answer: Mark Haddon

Mark Haddon is a British writer whose mystery novel was published in 2003. The story is told from the perspective of a 15-year-old boy, Christopher John Francis Boone, who describes himself as "a mathematician with some behavioral difficulties", i.e., a mental disability akin to autism or Asperger syndrome.

It is a wonderful book about the achievements of someone who sees the world in a different way. The book was later adapted for Broadway. The other authors' works include "King Solomon's Mines" by Haggard, "Hotel" by Hailey; Handler, under the pen name 'Lemony Snicket', gave us "A Series of Unfortunate Events".

Answer: Ayn Rand

Russian-born writer Ayn Rand (1905-1982) had the given name Alisa Rosenbaum. She was a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and philosopher who moved to the United States in 1926. Rand developed a philosophy she called "objectivism" which was outlined (in detail) in her novels; this system rejected faith and religion, altruism, collectivism and anarchy, while supporting reason and the rights of the individual, at all costs. Rand also published "Atlas Shrugged", while Herman Wouk wrote "The Caine Mutiny", Leon Uris gave us "Exodus" and Jacqueline Susann penned "Valley of the Dolls".

Answer: Jackie Collins

In 1983, Jackie Collins (1937-2015) wrote "Hollywood Wives" about the power brokers, talent agents, screenwriters, stars and ingenues of the film industry. In 1985, the book was turned into a mini-series, produced by Aaron Spelling, which turned out to be one of the most watched series of the 1980s.
Other famous women novelists include: Barbara Kingsolver - "The Poisonwood Bible", Nora Roberts - "Dark Witch", and Barbara Cartland with "The Poor Governess" among many others.

Answer: The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway wrote "The Old Man and the Sea" in 1951 in the Bahamas. It is the tale of Santiago, an old fisherman, who catches a huge Atlantic blue marlin off the coast of Cuba, only to have it devoured by sharks. This was the last major work to be published in Hemingway's lifetime, and he thought it was one of his best. Published in 1952, it garnered a Pulitzer Prize in 1953, and helped clinch a Nobel Prize for its author in 1954.

Herman Melville's novels include: "Typee", Melville's first book (1846), about life in Polynesia; "Moby-Dick" (1851) about Captain Ahab and his struggle with the "great white"; "Billy Budd", about a sailor, which was published posthumously.

Answer: Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane used realism to write "The Red Badge of Courage" (1895) about the Civil War, despite the fact that he had no battle experience whatsoever. It is about a young Union soldier named Henry Fleming who runs from the field of battle, but then tries to counteract his cowardice by becoming the standard-bearer against the enemy. Crane is also known for his poetry, journalism and short stories characterized by their intensity and irony.

The other Stephens' works are: "A Brief History of Time" by Hawking, King's frightening "Cujo", and Stephen White's book, "Line of Fire".

Answer: William Sydney Porter

O. Henry was the pseudonym for William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), an American short story writer who wrote poignant accounts of people's lives, e.g., "The Gift of the Magi" (1905) about a young married couple who try to buy secret Christmas gifts with very little money, and "The Last Leaf" (1907) about a dying girl and a winter miracle.

His plots are characterized by wit, wisdom, warmth and surprise endings. The other choices are also famous authors who used 'noms de plume', i.e. Clemens was Mark Twain, Dodgson was Lewis Carroll and Blair was George Orwell (and I'm sure you are familiar with their works).

Answer: Henry Fielding

For this last one, I went way back in time to Henry Fielding's novel about Tom Jones (not the Welsh singer) which was published in 1749. "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" is among the earliest works described as a novel. As the title suggests, the abandoned infant is discovered sleeping in Squire Allworthy's bed after he and his sister return from a trip.

The squire, who is both kind and wealthy, calls the baby Thomas and agrees to raise the child. The story is both a "Bildungsroman" and a picaresque novel.

The others are: Golding with "Lord of the Flies", Benchley and "Jaws", and Sidney Sheldon's "The Other Side of Midnight".