Tuesday Trivia

1. How many words are in the longest sentence in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables? 
2. Which well-known 20th century, British author was a member of the Inklings, a group associated with Oxford University, alongside other pertinent authors such as C.S. Lewis? 
3. Which English author, poet, essayist, literary critic, and playwright enjoyed taking off his clothes and climbing mulberry trees? 
4. What Alfred Hitchcock movie title is drawn from Shakespeare's Hamlet? In what year was the first English-language Encyclopaedia Britannica published? 

Last Week's Answers 

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 

The moons of Uranus are named after characters from the works of which two famous writers? 

Alexander Pope and William Shakespeare. 

Washington Irving got the idea for the story of Rip Van Winkle from which ancient poet? 

Washington Irving got his idea for Rip Van Winkle from the story of the Cretan poet Epimenides, who lived around 600 B.C. In the story, the main character takes a nap in a cave and awakes almost 60 years later. When he returns home, he finds his younger brother has become an old man. 

Which author’s genius work ignited a scientific revolution, but failed financially — going out of print for many years after its initial publishing in 1543? 

Copernicus' revolutionary book arguing that heavenly bodies move around the sun ignited a scientific revolution, but it was a financial flop. Published, finally, in 1543, it was overpriced and allowed to go out of print. A second edition was not printed until 1566, the third, not until 1617.

Tuesday Trivia

1. 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? 
2. The moons of Uranus are named after characters from the works of which two famous writers? 
3. Washington Irving got the idea for the story of Rip Van Winkle from which ancient poet? 
4. Which author’s genius work ignited a scientific revolution, but failed financially — going out of print for many years after its initial publishing in 1543?

Last Week's Answers 

What was Pulitzer Prize-Winning author John Sanford’s reason for deciding to become a writer? 

His journalism schooling was paid for by the Army. 

Which author gave his 1949 Nobel Prize acceptance speech and was met with only a smattering of polite applause because it was virtually impossible to understand what he was saying? 

While William Faulkner’s speech was unintelligible to the audience in attendance, it was universally acclaimed as one of the best acceptance speeches ever written after its newspaper publication the following morning. 

What was Judy Blume's maiden name? 

Sussman 

Which poet was returned to his city of birth upon his death to be buried but was hidden in a wall to prevent anyone from stealing the corpse — a hiding place was forgotten until 1865, when a construction worker unearthed it during church renovations? 

Dante died of Malaria in 1321 and was returned to his native Florence. A construction worker found the corpse during construction in 1865, and in the time it took to rebury him, several pieces of Dante’s body mysteriously went missing, taken as trinkets.

Tuesday Trivia

1. What was Pulitzer Prize-Winning author John Sanford’s reason for deciding to become a writer? 
2. Which author gave his 1949 Nobel Prize acceptance speech and was met with only a smattering of polite applause because it was virtually impossible to understand what he was saying? 
3. What was Judy Blume's maiden name? 
4. Which poet was returned to his city of birth upon his death to be buried but was hidden in a wall to prevent anyone from stealing the corpse — a hiding place was forgotten until 1865, when a construction worker unearthed it during church renovations? 

Last Week's Answers 

Which famous sci-fi author’s father choked to death in a restaurant while on a business trip and when his mother was unable to tell him, she hired someone to inform him of his father’s death? 

William Gibson 

Which famous author was both born and died on a Halley’s Comet year? 

Mark Twain 1835 - 1910 

Which author died while on a tour of the White Mountains in1864 and is buried in the Sleepy Hallow Cemetery in Massachussetts? 

Nathaniel Hawthorne 

The epitaph 'Blest be the man that spares these stones, and curst be he that moves my bones,' was written by whom? 

Shakespeare

Yelping with Cormac

The Yelping with Cormac tumblr, a compilation of posts detailing how Cormac McCarthy might rate establishments on Yelp.com is definitely worth a look (and a laugh).

Tuesday Trivia

1. Which famous sci-fi author’s father choked to death in a restaurant while on a business trip and when his mother was unable to tell him, she hired someone to inform him of his father’s death? 
2. Which famous author was both born and died on a Halley’s Comet year?
3. Which author died while on a tour of the White Mountains in1864 and is buried in the Sleepy Hallow Cemetery in Massachussetts?
4. he epitaph 'Blest be the man that spares these stones, and curst be he that moves my bones,' was written by whom? 

Last Week's Answers 

What was George Eliot's real name? 

Mary Ann Evans used the pseudonym George Eliot. 

Which young adult author is the grandmother of controversial musician Courtney Love? 

Paula Fox, author of Slave Dancer, had a daughter named Linda in 1944 that she put up for adoption. Linda Carroll, the adopted child, is the mother of controversial musician Courtney Love; making Fox Courtney Love's grandmother. 

Where does the “Hey Diddle Diddle” nursery rhyme come from? 

This Nursery Rhyme originated in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. The queen is said to have teased her courtiers (not unlike a cat teases mice) and was very fond of dancing to fiddle music. One of her courtiers was called "Moon" and another "Dog," and there was also a gentleman of the court called "Dish" who eloped with Mistress “Spoon.” 

Which U.S. President was a Finalist for the National Book Award? 

John F. Kennedy was a nonfiction finalist in 1957 for Profiles in Courage.