FunTrivia Literature Mix: Vol 20 Quiz

Answer: William Faulkner

Faulkner was from Mississippi. Most of his novels were centered on the South and, in particular, the growth and changing political and social climate of that area from the early 1800s into the 1900s. He won the 1950 Nobel Prize for literature. His novels include "The Sound and the Fury", "Absalom! Absalom!" and "As I Lay Dying".

Question by player deputygary

Answer: The Lord of the Rings

"The Lord of the Rings" was written by JRR Tolkien, and was his greatest success, but "The Silmarillion" was his labour of love - he spent literally decades developing the prehistory and languages in Middle Earth. The book was finally edited and published after his death by his son, Christopher.

Question by player GillianO

Answer: Haiku

The English version of haiku typically uses 17 syllables. This was approved by the Haiku Society of America in 1973. The English version can be about any subject. The traditional Japanese haiku was about nature.

Question by player merooster

Answer: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

There were seven books in total of this British author's book series, the first one published being "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in 1950. The name Narnia was derived from the ancient Italian commune Narnia. That first book was about four children who, after being relocated to the English countryside when World War II broke out, discovered a wardrobe that led to the land of Narnia.


Question by player Billkozy

Answer: nine

Samuel Clemens' nom de plume (writing name) was Mark Twain, author of "Tom Sawyer Abroad", "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", and "Pudd'nhead Wilson".

Question by player Lummox

Answer: The genocide in Rwanda

Some 800,000 Rwandans died over the course of three months in 1994, at the hands of extremist Hutu nationalists. Gourevitch, a writer for "The New Yorker", centered his book on interviews with survivors of the genocide.

None of the other atrocities listed took place in the 1990s. The Armenian genocide in Turkey lasted from about 1915 to 1917; the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia bloodily from 1975 to 1979; and the Iraqi Kurdish city of Halabja was attacked in 1988.

Question by player CellarDoor

Answer: Himself

German writer and polymath, Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) is considered to be one of the greatest writers of German literature. His famous work "The Sorrows of Young Werther", a depressing work if ever there was one - and one which Goethe grew to intensely dislike - was written when he was only in his early twenties.

It relates the tale of a young man (Werther) and his ever-increasing despair over his unrequited love for Charlotte, a young woman engaged to another. This leads to Werther's eventual suicide - and his rather vindictive suggestion that hopefully Charlotte may also die of a broken heart.

The book created a storm of controversy, led to copycat killings by other smitten swains, and was banned in several countries, but continues today to remain one of Germany's greatest works. Goethe, deeply infatuated in real life with a young woman, Charlotte Buff, who rejected his advances, partially based the tale of woe on his own unrequited love, but grew to deeply regret the unwanted attention his transparent tale had brought both to himself and the real-life Charlotte.

Question by player Creedy

Answer: Following the Equator

"Following the Equator" is Mark Twain's tale of a voyage around the world, visiting many countries located on the equator. The other three titles are Jack London's most famous books.

Question by player StarGaGa

Answer: Herman Wouk

Herman Wouk won the Pulitzer Prize for "The Caine Mutiny" in 1951. It was made into a movie in 1954 starring Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson and Fred McMurray. The other three novelists listed also wrote WW2 novels that later became movies: Pierre Boulle, "The Bridge Over the River Kwai"; Nicholas Monsarrat, "The Cruel Sea"; and Joseph Heller "Catch 22". All of these novels are in my collection.

Question by player redcardrandy

Answer: poetry

The Irish poet Heaney was the 1995 Nobel Prize winner in literature. Heaney wrote thirteen poetry collections before his death in 2013.

Question by player GoodVibe