They Wrote 'em and We Read 'em: Part III Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Mario Puzo's most famous novel is "The Godfather" 1969. He was also a writer of short stories but had four novels published before "The Godfather". Can you name the first novel he had published in 1955 taking place in Germany, post WWII?

Answer: The Dark Arena

"The Dark Arena" follows the story of an American WWII veteran who returns to Germany after the war in order to find his girlfriend, Hella. Puzo drew on his experiences of Germany as he had been stationed there in the US Army Air Force during WWII. Mario Puzo (1920-1999) wrote "The Fortunate Pilgrim" (1965), "The Runaway Summer of Davie Shaw" (1966) and "Six Graves of Munich" (1967) the latter under the name of Mario Cleri. Puzo considered "The Fortunate Pilgrim" as his finest work and this novel was the birthplace of "The Godfather".

2. I wrote crime novels and in my first novel "I, the Jury", I introduced my most famous character, the hard-boiled private detective Mike Hammer. Who am I?

Answer: Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane (1918-2006) was known for his fast action, sparse and tough writing just like his character, private detective Mike Hammer. Two of his Mike Hammer books were adapted into movies and there have been a number of TV series with the first being in 1958 with Darren McGavin in the role of Mike Hammer. Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970) was a lawyer and author who created the fictional defense lawyer Perry Mason. William Link (b.1933), together with Richard Levison (1934-1987), created Columbo for the TV series of the same name. Chester Gould (1900-1985) was an American cartoonist who created and drew Dick Tracy from 1931-1977.

3. Which Ernest Hemingway novel depicts American and British expatriates travelling from Paris to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and bullfights?

Answer: The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American author and journalist. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Quite a number of his works were published posthumously. "The Sun Also Rises" (1926) is based on his own experiences in Paris and his frequent trips to Pamplona where he became fascinated with bullfighting.

He had also been a WWI veteran and the characters in the novel were based on real people. "Death in the Afternoon" (1932) deals with the ceremony and traditions of bullfighting. "A Farewell to Arms" (1929) is about a love affair against the back-drop of WWI. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1940) is about a young American fighting for the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.

Another of his great novels is "The Old Man and the Sea" (1952).

Hemingway was a veteran of WWI and was a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War and WWII.

4. A literary movement known as the "Beat Generation" grew up post WWII in America and their writings influenced a generation and became popular during the 1950s. One of the members of this movement wrote "On the Road". Who was the author?

Answer: Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) was a novelist and poet and is recognised by his spontaneous prose. "On the Road" (1957) is based on the travels of Kerouac and friends across America against a backdrop of drugs, jazz and poetry. Ginsberg and Burroughs were represented by characters in the book with Kerouac as the narrator. William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), Herbert Huncke (1915-1996) and Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) were also known for their Beat literature.

5. I wrote the 1970 best selling novel, "Love Story", which became a successful movie of the same name. Who am I?

Answer: Erich Segal

Erich Segal (1937-2010) was an American author, screenwriter and educator. He not only wrote the screen play for the movie "Love Story" but also the screen play for the Beatles' 1968 motion picture "Yellow Submarine". He was an accomplished marathon runner who regularly competed in the Boston Marathon from 1955-1975. Mary Stewart (1916-2014) was a British novelist who wrote romantic novels mainly featuring adventurous heroines. John Updike (1932-2009) was best known for his "Rabbit" series of novels which followed the life of a middle-class man over the course of several decades. Philip Roth (b.1933) is an American novelist best known for his controversial 1969 novel, "Portnoy's Complaint".

6. I was born in Australia, was a POW, later a naturalized American and am best known for my "Asian Saga" series of novels. Who am I?

Answer: James Clavell

James Clavell (1921-1994) was an Australian-born British novelist, screenwriter, director and a POW at Changi Prison, Singapore. His first novel "King Rat" was based on his experiences during WWII and this was the first of the "Asian Saga". This was followed by "Tai-Pan", "Shogun", "Noble House", "Whirlwind" and "Gai-Jin".

He also screen-wrote "The Great Escape" and "To Sir, With Love". Paul Brickhill (1916-1991) was an Australian fighter pilot and writer who was a POW in Germany during WWII and wrote three books that were made into feature films "The Dam Busters", "Reach for the Sky" and "The Great Escape".

He was imprisoned in Stalag Luft III and was involved in the mass escape which was the basis for his book "The Great Escape" in 1950. An interesting piece of trivia is that the British actor Donald Pleasence, who appeared in the movie "The Great Escape", was himself a POW in Germany during WWII. Desmond Llewelyn (1914-1999) was a Welsh actor who was a POW in Germany for 5 years but reached fame as "Q" (the quartermaster of MI6 gadget lab) in numerous James Bond movies. Ernest Gordon (1916-2002) was a native of Scotland and was a POW in a Japanese camp and wrote "Through the Valley of the Kwai" which served as an inspiration for the 2001 movie "To End All Wars".

7. In 1941 I sponsored an anti-aircraft ship (USS Atlanta (CL-51)) for the United States Navy which was used in the naval Battle of Midway. The only novel that was published in my lifetime was written in 1936 and adapted into a movie which received ten Academy Awards from 13 nominations. Who am I?

Answer: Margaret Mitchell

Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949) was an American author and journalist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for "Gone with the Wind". In more recent years some of her earlier writings have been published. The USS Atlanta (CL-51) was sunk at the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. She also sponsored USS Atlanta (CL-104) which survived the war.
A ship "sponsor" is traditionally a female who bestows good luck and divine protection of the ship and all those who sail aboard her. This normally takes place by breaking a bottle of champagne on the hull when the ship is launched.
Alistair MacLean (1922-1987) was a Scotsman who served in the Royal Navy during WWII. His novels, "The Guns of Navarone", "Ice Station Zebra", and "Where Eagles Dare", were all adapted into successful movies. Clive Cussler (b. 1931) is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist who has written over 60 books. James A. Michener (1907-1997) was an American author of over 40 books in which many were lengthy family sagas including "Hawaii", "Centennial" and "Chesapeake".

8. This author wrote the "Bourne" trilogy of novels that were adapted into movies with the actor Matt Damon in the lead role as Jason Bourne. Who is this author?

Answer: Robert Ludlum

Robert Ludlum (1927-2001) was an American author who specialised in thrillers, spy fiction and mystery. The Bourne trilogy consisted of "The Bourne Identity", "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum". Ken Follett (b. 1949) is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels.

Henry Patterson (b. 1929), writing as Jack Higgins, writes thrillers and espionage novels and in 1975 wrote "The Eagle Has Landed" which was adapted into a successful movie. Frederick Forsyth (b. 1938) is an English author and is best known for writing "The Day of the Jackal".

9. My initials are JS and I wrote the 1973 novel "Once Is Not Enough" which was also adapted into a movie starring Kirk Douglas, David Janssen and Brenda Vaccaro. However, what was my first novel?

Answer: Valley of the Dolls

Jacqueline Susann (1918-1974) wrote "Valley of the Dolls" in 1966. The novel focuses on the lives of three women who become friends, who have successful careers but eventually leads to self-destruction. Her next novel was "The Love Machine" (1969) which also was adapted into a movie of the same name. "The Valley of the Horses" published in 1982 was written by Jean M. Auel (b 1932), an American author. "Valley of the Damned" was a debut album in 2000 by the English power metal band DragonForce.

10. My name is Harold Robbins and a 1952 novel of mine was adapted into a 1958 motion picture "King Creole" starring Elvis Presley, who was a boxer in the movie. What was the name of my novel?

Answer: A Stone for Danny Fisher

"A Stone for Danny Fisher" is a novel that looks at the life of a family during the depression years and Danny (Elvis Presley) is forced to use his only real talent and that is boxing. "Never Love a Stranger" was published in 1948 and the 1958 movie of the same name starred John Barrymore and a young Steve McQueen. "Where Love Has Gone" was published in 1962 and the movie in 1964 of the same name starred Bette Davis. "The Carpetbaggers" (1961) was adapted into a movie in 1964 starring George Peppard and Alan Ladd.

Source: Author zambesi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
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