Authors Behind Bars Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854. His close friendship with Lord Alfred Douglas so infuriated Douglas' father, the Marquess of Queensberry, that he made certain accusations against Wilde. Egged on by Lord Alfred, Wilde sued the Marquess for criminal libel.

The case collapsed and he dropped the suit, but was then arrested himself and brought to trial. Found guilty of homosexual offences (illegal at that time) at his second trial, the jury could not agree in the first, and Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years' hard labour.

He spent most of his imprisonment at Reading Gaol, where he wrote "De Profundis" - not "The Ballad of Reading Gaol"- that was to come later!

Answer: Ezra Pound

Ezra Weston Loomis Pound, born in Idaho in 1885, left America and travelled widely in Europe, where he had more success with his literary work. He was in fact a great-nephew of Longfellow, although apparently never admired his illustrious uncle's work! After his arrest at the end of the war, he was detained for six months in a prison camp near Pisa, before being returned to the US to face trial; however, he was declared insane and unfit to plead. For the next twelve years he was confined in Washington's St. Elizabeth's Hospital for the criminally insane.

After his release he returned to Italy.

Answer: Ben Jonson

A month or so after his father's death in 1572, Benjamin Jonson was born in London. After a spell as a soldier he took up acting, during which time he killed fellow actor Gabriel Spencer in a duel following an argument. He narrowly escaped the gallows by pleading "benefit of clergy", which meant that he was able to read from the Bible in Latin.

He was branded on his left thumb and released!

Answer: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Solzhenitsyn was arrested in 1945 after having criticised Joseph Stalin in a private letter. He was sentenced to eight years hard labour, which were then followed by three years in exile. He attained instant celebrity after the publication of his first novel in 1962, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich".

Answer: William Blake

Having ejected a soldier, who was apparently trespassing in his Sussex garden, Blake found himself accused by this man, John Scofield, of damning the King and accusing the soldiers of being slaves. Blake denied the charges and was subsequently acquitted.

Answer: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (sometimes spelled 'Dostoevski')was born in Moscow in 1821. He was arrested in 1849 for making treasonable speeches; however, he got a last minute reprieve from his death sentence and spent four years at a penal settlement in Omsk, until he was pardoned in 1859.

Answer: John Bunyan

In 1653, after much soul searching, Bunyan joined the fellowship of the Baptists, and seven years later found himself in court charged with nonconformity with the preaching of the Church of England. He remained imprisoned for twelve years, as he would not promise to conform in order to secure his release.

After having been freed in 1672, he was elected pastor of the Bedford congregation, but was arrested again in 1675 and imprisoned for a further six months, during which time he started "The Pilgrim's Progres".

Answer: Brendan Behan

Born in Dublin in 1923, Brendan Behan became an IRA member in 1937. He arrived in England two years later and was arrested for carrying explosives. After his deportation to Dublin he became involved in the shooting of a policeman, for which, in 1942, he was convicted and sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment.

Answer: Daniel Defoe

Son of a butcher, James Foe, Daniel was born in London in 1660, changing his name to 'Defoe' in 1703. Having taken part in Monmouth's rebellion, he joined William of Orange in 1668. He repeatedly fell afoul of the authorities with his satirical writings. Whilst imprisoned in Newgate Prison for two years he wrote "Hymn to the Pillory".

Answer: John Donne

John Donne, born in London in 1573, studied law, sailed with Walter Raleigh, became an M.P. and Justice of the Peace, served as chaplain to King James I, received an honorary M.A from Oxford University, and ultimately became Dean of St. Paul's. Nonetheless, his marriage to the teenage Ann More in 1600 caused considerable outrage, resulting in his brief incarceration.