Tuesday Trivia

1. Which American author was the son of astrologer, William Chaney, and his wife Flora Wellman, a music teacher and spiritualist who claimed the ability to channel the spirit of an Indian chief?
2. Which young adult author moved 13 times between 1937 and 1950 due to her parents’ missionary work?
3. Which young adult author received $4.67 for her first story called “Mike’s Hero,” which was published in a church magazine in 1949?
4. What was E.B. White’s nickname at Cornell?
5. Which satiric author suffered from an illness characterized by vertigo and fits of giddiness — now known to be Ménière's disease, a disorder of the inner ear?

Dora Diamant, lover to one of the most important and influential fiction writers of the early 20th century, ignored his wishes to have all of his works burned, secretly keeping approximately 20 notebooks and 35 letters until they were confiscated by the Gestapo in 1933. Who was the writer?



Dora Diamant was the lover of Franz Kafka, and an ongoing international search is being conducted for these missing Kafka papers.



Which well-known, contemporary clothing company appears in Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley in its original form — as an elite sporting goods store?


Founded in 1892, Abercrombie and Fitch specialized in excursion and sporting goods and was a favorite brand of author John Steinbeck. Other patrons of A&F include Teddy Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Clark Gable, John F. Kennedy, and Ernest Hemingway.



Which American author had a schizophrenic sister named Rose who was treated for her mental illness with a prefrontal lobotomy?



Tennessee Williams was devastated by his sister’s surgery, unsuccessful to the point of incapacitating the girl for the remainder of her life. According to some sources, Rose’s surgery may have contributed to Williams’ dependence on prescription drugs and alcohol.



Which gothic writer was better known during his lifetime as the personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London?



Bram Stoker



As a teenager, which author enjoyed reading Icelandic sagas and Norse mythology — which can be seen in the style of his later works?



C. S. Lewis