Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Tuesday Trivia

  1. Which poet held the high office of Poet Laureate of England for 30 years but is best remembered for his anthropomorphic children's story?
  2. Contrary to popular belief – and Boston tour guides’ hype – which famous “author” of children's poetry was probably not a seventeenth-century Boston housewife and is probably not buried in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston?
  3. In which Grimm Brothers’ tale do the heroine’s nemeses cut off their toe and heel respectively and then have their eyes gouged out by vengeful birds?
  4. Which author’s favorite snack is cheese doodles?
  5. Which British poet’s wife was illiterate and signed her wedding certificate with an "X"?

Who is the woman in the photo on the cover of Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter?
Tan’s grandmother is the woman featured on the cover of the book in a sepia-toned photo circa 1905.


Who said "I do my best writing at night, jacked up on caffeine, utterly alone."?

Colin Harrison, editor of Harper's Magazine and the author of Break and Enter.


What is Cormac McCarthy's real first name?

Cormac McCarthy was originally named Charles after his father, but changed his name to Cormac after the Irish King.


In which magazine was Chris Bohjalian, author of New York Times bestseller Skeletons at the Feast, first published?

Cosmopolitan


The only life-sized stature of which beloved British author is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

Charles Dickens