The Misplaced Literature Quiz

Answer: Charles Darnay

"A Tale Of Two Cities" was written by Charles Dickens and published in 1859, between "Little Dorrit" and "Great Expectations".

During the French revolution, which began in 1789, Charles Darnay, a French aristocrat, is sentenced to be guillotined. Sydney Carton, an Englishman, takes his place after helping him to escape from prison. Carton selflessly sacrifices himself because of his dissolute life and unrequited love for Lucie Manette who loves Charles Darnay. Charles Dickens died in 1870 aged 58.

Question submitted by shipyardbernie

Answer: Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer, and one of the most translated authors in the world. He wrote books about the Bible, Shakespeare, Physics, fiction, fantasy and even two joke books. He was also the vice chairman of MENSA International.

A Professor of Biochemistry and workaholic, he was never happier than when enclosed in his small room (he was a claustrophile), tapping away at his typewriter. He hated flying and taking holidays. His knowledge base and range was amazing, and his published works include: 'The Sensuous Dirty Old Man'; 'Asimov's Treasury of Humour'; 'Asimov's Guide to the Bible' (two volumes) as well as histories of the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and the Near East. He died in 1992 aged 72.

One of my most precious possessions is a letter he wrote to me in the 1970s.

Question submitted by Waitakere

Answer: British

Lee Child was born in Coventry, England, in 1954. He has written over 20 books based on the itinerant Jack Reacher character and his adventures, as he wanders through America and Europe.

The books often feature on best selling lists, and have won several international awards. Reacher has featured in movies played by Tom Cruise, who has now been declared by the author to be too small to play the role, as the character is 6' 5".

Question submitted by Warrior100

Answer: All The President's Men

Woodward and Bernstein were reporters for the Washington Post when they began investigating reports of the break in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building in 1972. Their newspaper reports and subsequent book helped make them prominent figures in political reporting.

Watergate is the name of the building where the break in occurred.

"I am not a crook" is a statement Richard Nixon made in response to a reporter's question about the Watergate break in.

"Deep Throat" is the name of a porn film as well as the name given to the confidential source who provided the crucial information about the break in, to Woodward and Bernstein. After more than 30 years it was finally revealed to be W. Mark Felt, who, at the time of the break in was an associate director at the F.B.I.

"All The President's Men" was made into a movie with Robert Redford playing Woodward and Dustin Hoffman playing Bernstein.

Question submitted by dekeaunt

Answer: Ivanhoe

Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. He was a novelist, essayist, musician, travel writer and poet. He is most well known for writing "Treasure Island", "A Child's Garden of Verses", "Kidnapped" and "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

He toured the South Pacific and finally settled in Samoa. He wrote at least thirteen novels and over 23 short stories. He wrote many poems and books on travel. He died on 3 December 1894 aged 44 and his "Requiem" is inscribed on his headstone:

"Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.'
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

"Ivanhoe" was written by Sir Walter Scott, it was first published n 1819.

Question supplied by wenray

Answer: Tales of the South Pacific

James A Michener wrote "Tales of the South Pacific" in 1946, inspired by his time serving with the US navy as a naval historian in the South Pacific in World War 2. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 and was later adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein into a musical. James Michener died in 1997 at the age of 90 after a long career spent travelling, researching and writing his often lengthy historical epics.

Question submitted by boof123

Answer: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls was born February 7, 1867 in Pepin County, Wisconsin. She traveled with her family in a covered wagon numerous times, as her father, Charles Ingalls, was always eager to travel West to homestead. After Laura grew up, traveling by covered wagon was rapidly ending, as people were finding it faster to travel by railroad. She wanted to preserve the past for her daughter Rose, and keep the memories alive so that Rose would understand the way Laura had lived before the more modern way of life.

Her first book, "Little House In The Big Woods" (published in 1932), became so popular that Laura wrote the other eight books, depicting her life from age 5 to age 22, including her marriage to Almanzo James Wilder on August 25 1885 and Rose's birth on December 5 1886.

Question submitted by kennell

Answer: Pilot

Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816 in Yorkshire, England. "Jane Eyre" was published in 1847. It was her first published novel because her first manuscript, "The Professor", had been turned down by a publisher. It was eventually published posthumously in 1857. Charlotte Brontë wrote under the pseudonym Currer Bell in order to protect her privacy. She died in 1855 aged 38.

Question submitted by rebelyank

Answer: Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane and a main character in an animated TV and film series produced by Hanna-Barbera.

The Grinch is the main character in the book "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". It has been adapted for a live action movie in 2000 starring Jim Carrey and "The Grinch" an animated movie in 2018 starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Sneetches are yellow creatures, some of whom have stars on their stomachs. They fight over which are better, those with stars or those without. They appear in the book "Sneetches and Other Stories".

Gerald McGrew is the main character in "If I Ran The Zoo". He has quite an imagination!

Théodore Seuss Geisel was born in 1904 and was an animator, artist, children's author, filmmaker, poet, political cartoonist and screenwriter. By the time of his death in 1991 aged 87, his books had sold more than 600 million copies and had been translated into more than 20 languages. Many of Dr. Seuss's stories have morals to them. One of my favourites, and more relevant today than ever, is "The Butter Battle Book". If you haven't read it, give it a try.

Question submitted by dekeaunt

Answer: Hieronymus Bosch

Michael Connelly's detective is Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch. His mother was murdered when he was 11 years old, a case that Harry solved later in life. He joined the army and was a "tunnel rat" in Vietnam. Upon returning from Vietnam Harry joined the LAPD and rose to the rank of Detective III in the Hollywood Homicide Division.

He had an ex-wife, Eleanor and a daughter Maddie. He left the police force and worked as a Criminal Defence Investigator, later again working as a detective for the City of Fernando, California, Police Department.

Between 1992 and 2018, Harry Bosch appeared in twenty-one novels. In 2015 a ten episode TV series named "Bosch", was made and starred Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch.

Michael Connelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, in July 1956.
He has written more than 30 novels which have been translated into forty foreign languages and sold 60 million copies. He has also written many short stories.

His first novel "The Black Echo" won the 1992 Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel. He has won many other awards.

Question submitted by wenray