Written in Prison

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1. Born in Rome when the western empire was falling, this man prospered under Theodoric, the Visigothic ruler of the city, and became consul in AD 510. However, he was later imprisoned on suspicion of plotting against Theodoric, and was executed in 525. In prison he wrote a treatise called “The Consolation of Philosophy,” which became one of the most frequently translated works in the world. Who was he? Boethius Ausonius Claudian Prudentius

2. The “Morte d’Arthur,” a fifteenth-century collection of Arthurian legends, was probably compiled in prison. What was the name of the author? Thomas Malory Geoffrey Chaucer William Caxton William Langland

3. This man was a faithful servant of King Henry VIII of England, and became Lord Chancellor in 1529. However, in the 1530s he could not bring himself to recognize the King as head of the English church, and he was consequently imprisoned and beheaded for treason. While in prison he wrote “A Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation.” Who was he? Thomas More Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cranmer Thomas Wolsey

4. Which famous English explorer, soldier, courtier and poet wrote “A History of the World” while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for alleged treason against James VI and I? Sir Thomas Wyatt Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Francis Drake

5. Which English cavalier poet wrote the lyric “To Althea, from Prison,” with the opening couplet “Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage”? Richard Lovelace John Suckling Thomas Carew Robert Herrick

6. “Pilgrim’s Progress,” one of the most famous allegories in the English language, was written (in part, at least) while its author was in prison. Who was the author? William Blake John Milton John Bunyan Daniel Defoe

7. John Cleland, imprisoned for debt in 1748 – 49, wrote a novel called “Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure.” It is said to have made £10,000 (more than a million pounds in 2006 terms) for his publisher, but brought him only twenty guineas. During the next two centuries, many people were imprisoned for publishing or selling the novel. The work is generally known by the name of its heroine: what is her name? Moll Flanders Clarissa Pamela Fanny Hill

8. An English radical, fleeing from arrest for seditious libel in England, was warmly welcomed in revolutionary France in 1792. Before long, however, his popularity waned, and he spent nearly a year in prison, where he wrote Part 2 of his work “The Age of Reason.” Who was he? William Hone William Godwin William Blake Thomas Paine

9. While in prison, Oscar Wilde wrote a work addressed to his former friend Lord Alfred Douglas. Parts of it were published after his death. It is generally described as an “apologia” for Wilde’s way of life. Its title is taken from the opening of one of the Psalms in Latin. What is this title? Beatus vir Dixit Dominus Miserere De profundis

10. One of the leading philosophers of the twentieth century fought in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I and was held in Italy as a prisoner of war. In captivity, he wrote part of his principal work, the “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.” Who was he? Rudolf Steiner Martin Buber Ludwig Wittgenstein Karl Popper