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Quiz about Hey  There Are Real People in my Fiction
Quiz about Hey  There Are Real People in my Fiction

Hey! There Are Real People in my Fiction! Quiz


Actual, real-life people sometimes make appearances in fiction. Name the books these folks show up in.

A multiple-choice quiz by john_sunseri. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
john_sunseri
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
318,585
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
452
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. This 2009 novel by Dan Simmons is narrated by Wilkie Collins (author of "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone"), and the other main character is Charles Dickens. What is this unnerving, powerful book? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In this 1994 novel, William Hjortsberg (author of "Falling Angel", which was made into the movie "Angel Heart") presents Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini mixing themselves up in a series of murders inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's fictions. What is this book's title? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Cardinal Richelieu, King Louis XIII's chief minister, is an antagonist in this Dumas novel. Louis himself appears in the book, as does George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. What is this classic swashbuckler? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This 1994 best-seller by Caleb Carr tells of a serial killer stalking the streets of 1896 New York City. Some of the characters are Teddy Roosevelt (the NY Police Commissioner) and J.P. Morgan. What was this atmospheric achievement called? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. This 1971 novel by Frederick Forsyth details the attempt of the world's greatest assassin to kill French President Charles de Gaulle. We never learn the assassin's real name--but de Gaulle was definitely a real person. What was the title of this thrilling masterpiece? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In this Stephen King end-of-the-world epic, Stu Redman tells a story about pumping gas for Jim Morrison a few years after the Doors singer had supposedly died. What is this gargantuan novel called? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In 1974, author Nicholas Meyer wrote a book blending fictional characters with real ones, and had Sigmund Freud trying to cure Sherlock Holmes of his addiction to cocaine. It was made into a movie in 1976. What is the title of this book? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In 1975, Jack Higgins wrote a novel detailing a Nazi plan to kidnap Winston Churchill. The main character is Liam Devlin of the IRA, but other characters include real-life Germans Heinrich Himmler and Wilhelm Canaris. This book was made into a movie in 1976, starring Michael Caine. What was the name of the novel? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This 2000 novel by Joyce Carol Oates uses Marilyn Monroe as the main character, though many of the characters have false names or other descriptors (such as "the Ex-athlete" for Joe di Maggio, or "C" for Tony Curtis). What is this roman a clef named? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. William Shakespeare used many historical figures in his plays. Which of these characters was NOT a real person? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This 2009 novel by Dan Simmons is narrated by Wilkie Collins (author of "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone"), and the other main character is Charles Dickens. What is this unnerving, powerful book?

Answer: Drood

Charles Dickens died before finishing his "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", and Simmons's book postulates that there may--MAY--have been an actual creature named 'Drood' acting as bęte noire and muse for Boz. It's a stunner of a novel.
2. In this 1994 novel, William Hjortsberg (author of "Falling Angel", which was made into the movie "Angel Heart") presents Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini mixing themselves up in a series of murders inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's fictions. What is this book's title?

Answer: Nevermore

Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, in the New York Times, said of this book: "In writing this fictionalized adventure of nonfiction characters, Mr. Hjortsberg was obviously out to have a good time. In the process of doing so, he has given his readers one as well." I fully agree.
3. Cardinal Richelieu, King Louis XIII's chief minister, is an antagonist in this Dumas novel. Louis himself appears in the book, as does George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. What is this classic swashbuckler?

Answer: The Three Musketeers

Other characters in the book were fictional (including the magnificent Milady de Winter), but Dumas mixed fact and fantasy with a deft touch. It's tribute to the man's artistry that he made his creations spark with life and vigor, so that D'Artagnan (a fiction, though based partially on Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan) seems just as real to us as the imposing Richelieu.
4. This 1994 best-seller by Caleb Carr tells of a serial killer stalking the streets of 1896 New York City. Some of the characters are Teddy Roosevelt (the NY Police Commissioner) and J.P. Morgan. What was this atmospheric achievement called?

Answer: The Alienist

From Carr's Note: "Prior to the twentieth century, persons suffering from mental illness were thought to be 'alienated,' not only from the rest of society but from their own true natures. Those experts who studied mental pathologies were known as alienists." In this case, the alienist is Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, who also stars in the sequel ("The Angel of Darkness").
5. This 1971 novel by Frederick Forsyth details the attempt of the world's greatest assassin to kill French President Charles de Gaulle. We never learn the assassin's real name--but de Gaulle was definitely a real person. What was the title of this thrilling masterpiece?

Answer: The Day of the Jackal

The Jackal is perhaps the greatest assassin in fiction, and real-life terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez was called 'Carlos the Jackal' by the press because he supposedly owned a copy of the book. The final line of Forsyth's novel is "The Day of the Jackal was over".
6. In this Stephen King end-of-the-world epic, Stu Redman tells a story about pumping gas for Jim Morrison a few years after the Doors singer had supposedly died. What is this gargantuan novel called?

Answer: The Stand

King doesn't normally put real people into his fiction. One exception is Red Sox pitcher Tom Gordon, who is a main plot point in "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon". Another exception is Stephen King himself--he appears in some of the Dark Tower books as a character.
7. In 1974, author Nicholas Meyer wrote a book blending fictional characters with real ones, and had Sigmund Freud trying to cure Sherlock Holmes of his addiction to cocaine. It was made into a movie in 1976. What is the title of this book?

Answer: The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

Holmes habitually used a seven percent solution of cocaine, hence the name of the book. Freud utilized mostly hypnotism to wean the Great Detective from the drug, but the thing that ultimately helped Holmes kick the habit was getting involved in a baffling mystery involving kidnapping and the threat of global war.
8. In 1975, Jack Higgins wrote a novel detailing a Nazi plan to kidnap Winston Churchill. The main character is Liam Devlin of the IRA, but other characters include real-life Germans Heinrich Himmler and Wilhelm Canaris. This book was made into a movie in 1976, starring Michael Caine. What was the name of the novel?

Answer: The Eagle Has Landed

Higgins penned a sequel called "The Eagle Has Flown" in 1991, starring Devlin. In both the book and movie versions of "Landed", it is revealed that the man Devlin almost manages to kidnap is actually a Churchill impersonator, and that all their planning and hard work would have been for nothing even if their plot had succeeded.
9. This 2000 novel by Joyce Carol Oates uses Marilyn Monroe as the main character, though many of the characters have false names or other descriptors (such as "the Ex-athlete" for Joe di Maggio, or "C" for Tony Curtis). What is this roman a clef named?

Answer: Blonde

In 2001, CBS adapted "Blonde" as a miniseries. Oates has said in interviews that this book is one of the two she will be remembered for (the other being "them").
10. William Shakespeare used many historical figures in his plays. Which of these characters was NOT a real person?

Answer: King Oberon

Oberon was the King of the Fairies in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and is the only demonstrably fictional character of all those listed. He is married to the equally fictional Queen Titania, and his servant is the mischievous Puck.
Source: Author john_sunseri

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