Reading under a Bridge Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pierre Boulle

"The Bridge over the River Kwai", published in 1952, is authored by the French novelist Pierre Boulle (1912-1994). The book talks about the experience of the author who served in the Free French Mission in Singapore, as a secret agent under the name of Peter John Rule.

In 1943, Boulle was captured and subjected to forced labor for two years. When he returned to France, he wrote the semi-fictional book based on his own experience and on the experience of Allied POWs forced to work on the construction of a 415 km railway, nicknamed the "Death Railway", that had a bridge crossing over the River Kwai.

Answer: Robert James Waller

"The Bridges of Madison County" was written by Robert James Waller (1939-2017). This American author followed an academic career, besides having worked as a photographer and as a nightclub musician, playing the guitar and flute.

In 1990, at the age of 51, Waller applied for academic leave and took a trip along the Mississippi River to photograph it. He took a detour to visit Madison County's covered bridges in Iowa. According to the author, at this time, he remembered a ballad composed years before about the dreams of a woman named Francesca. Eleven days later, he had his first novel written, and the main character of the book is called Francesca. "The Bridges of Madison County" was published in 1992, and was on the New York Times list for three years. His success increased later when the film of the same name premiered in 1995.

Answer: Ivo Andric

"The Bridge on the Drina" is an historical novel by Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer Ivo Andrić (1982-1975). He was suspected of participating in the plot to murder the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, and stayed some time under house arrest during the Great War. At the end of the war he dedicated himself to the study of literature and history, worked in the diplomatic service of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and was ambassador to Germany until the beginning of WWII. He returned to Belgrade, where he remained under house arrest until the end of the war. In this period he wrote his most important works, including "The Bridge on the Drina". In 1961, Ivo Andrić was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The historical novel takes place in the vicinity of the Mehmed Pasa Sokolović Bridge in Visegrad, which spans the Drina River and which testifies to the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian occupations from its construction in the 16th century until its partial destruction during WWI.

Answer: Natalie Savage Carlson

"The Family Under the Bridge" is a beautiful children's novel published in 1958. The story takes place at Christmas time, when a homeless Parisian, who dislikes children, has to share a space under a bridge with three children and their mother.

The book is authored by Natalie Savage Carlson (1906-1997), an American children's book writer. Carlson published her first story at age of eight, on the Baltimore Sunday Sun children's page. In 1959, she was nominated for the Newbery Medal, which rewards the best contributions to American literature for children.

Answer: David McCullough

"The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge", was published in 1972 and describes the engineering used in the construction of the bridge and the problems faced by designer John A. Roebling and his son Washington Roebling to finish it.

This story was brilliantly written by the American author, narrator, popular historian, and lecturer David Gaub McCullough (1933), who is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and has received numerous other awards and honors. In 1981, the documentary film "Brooklyn Bridge", inspired by McCullogh's work, was released.

Answer: James A. Michener

"The Bridges at Toko-Ri", published in 1953, takes place during the Korean War and reports the experiences of American pilots whose mission was to destroy heavily protected bridges located in enemy territory.

"The Bridges at Toko-Ri" was written by the American author James Albert Michener (1907-1997). He wrote more than 40 books, fictional and nonfictional. He received many awards and several of his works were transformed into films, documentaries and musicals.

Answer: Arthur Miller

"A View from the Bridge" is a play written by the American playwright Arthur Asher Miller (1915-2005), known as Arthur Miller, considered one of the greatest dramatists of the Twentieth Century. He wrote several blockbuster pieces and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

This play was released in 1955, in a one-act version that was not well received. Later, Miller revised it, turning it into a two-act prose drama. The play is set in the 1950s, in an Italian neighborhood near the Brooklyn Bridge. The main character was raised as an Italian and worked as an American lawyer, representing the "bridge" between the two cultures.

Answer: Evan S. Connell

"Mrs. Bridge" is the debut novel by Evan Shelby Connell Jr. (1924-2013). He wrote under the name Evan S. Connell. "Mrs. Bridge" (1959) and "Mr. Bridge (1969) are centered on a conventional couple, who are unable to have a reasonable relationship with their children. Both books were transformed into one film.

Connell had a very extensive literary career in many genres, and received several awards. In 2009, he was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize, for his work.

Answer: Katherine Paterson

"Bridge to Terabithia" is a children's book, in which two lonely children with different family situations become friends and create an imaginary kingdom named Terabithia, where they have many adventures. The book was written by Katherine Paterson and released in 1977.

Katherine Womeldorf Paterson (1932), known as Katherine Paterson, is a Chinese-born American writer known for her children's books. She has received numerous national and international awards, including the important Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing. Some of her works have been adapted for film and television.

Answer: Alistair MacLean

Alistair Stuart MacLean (1922-1987), known as Alistair MacLean, also wrote under the pseudonym of Ian Stuart. He was a renowned Scottish writer of the 20th Century, whose thrillers and adventure stories were very popular. In 1955, he published his first book and continued writing until 1986. Some of his books were transformed into popular films such as "The Guns of Navarone", "The Golden Gate" and "Ice Station Zebra".

In 1976, Alistair MacLean published the novel "The Golden Gate", in which a team of criminals kidnap the American president and two guests from the Middle East, on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The rights to film the book were acquired by Lew Grade's ITC, but for several reasons the film was never produced.