Literature From Troy to Baghdad Quiz

First published in 2011, "The Song of Achilles" is an historical fiction novel by American author Madeline Miller. It recounts the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in the years leading up to and during the Trojan War.

Written from Patroclus's perspective in the first person, the novel chronicles his exile, his friendship with Achilles, their training under the centaur Chiron and their roles in the Trojan War, as recounted in Homer's "The Iliad". The narrative emphasises the personal and emotional dimensions of the characters, particularly their romantic relationship, which forms a central theme of the book.

"The Song of Achilles" received critical acclaim upon its release and won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012 (now known as the "Women's Prize for Fiction"). The novel became a bestseller and gained renewed popularity in the early 2020s due to recommendations on social media.

"Creation", published in 1981, is a novel by Gore Vidal. It is set in the 5th century BCE and follows the fictional Persian diplomat Cyrus Spitama, a grandson of Zoroaster, as he recounts his life and travels across the Persian Empire, India and China during the time of the Greco-Persian Wars.

Told in the first person, the novel portrays Cyrus as a contemporary of several influential figures of the era: Zoroaster, Confucius, Buddha, Socrates, Pericles and Darius the Great, among others. Through his encounters and commentary, Cyrus explores contrasting worldviews and philosophies from a Persian perspective and offers an alternative to historical narratives that are often dominated by Greek sources.

Although "Creation" was not awarded any major literary prizes, the book is renowned for its intellectual complexity, the detailed research and its challenge to Eurocentric perspectives. It is often cited as one of Vidal's most complex and scholarly works.

"War and Peace" is an historical fiction novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, primarily between 1805 and 1812, the book chronicles the impact of the French invasion of Russia on Russian society through the lives of several aristocratic families.

The novel follows four families - the Bezukhovs, the Bolkonskys, the Rostovs and the Kuragins - and features both fictional and historical characters, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Tsar Alexander I. It combines a detailed historical narrative with philosophical reflections and psychological portraits, particularly of the central characters Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostova.

Tolstoy originally serialised the work in "The Russian Messenger" from 1865 to 1867 before publishing it as a complete book in 1869. The novel is notable for its complex structure, philosophical digressions on history and free will, and its blending of historical events with fictional personal stories.

"The March" (2005) was written by American author E. L. Doctorow. The novel is set during the final stages of the American Civil War and focuses on Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's military campaign known as the March to the Sea in 1864-1865.

The plot follows a wide range of characters, including Union and Confederate soldiers, freed slaves, Southern civilians and Northern medical personnel, whose lives are affected by the massive movement of troops and the destruction left in Sherman's wake as he advances from Atlanta to Savannah and then northwards into the Carolinas. Among the fictional and semi-fictional characters are Pearl, a young mixed-race girl passing as white; Colonel Sartorius, a battlefield surgeon; and Emily Thompson, a displaced Southern aristocrat.

"The March" won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. It was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006.

"La Débâcle" (1892) is a historical novel by French author Émile Zola. It is the nineteenth volume in his twenty-part "Les Rougon-Macquart" series, which examines various aspects of French society during the Second Empire. "La Débâcle" focuses on the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, the collapse of the Second French Empire and the Paris Commune.

The story follows two central characters: Jean Macquart, a French peasant and veteran of earlier campaigns, and Maurice Levasseur, an educated bourgeois who becomes his comrade in arms. As soldiers in the French army, they experience the disorganisation and defeat at the Battle of Sedan, imprisonment by the Prussians and the chaos of civil war during the Paris Commune. Their contrasting backgrounds serve to highlight the social divisions within French society.

Zola based much of the novel on extensive historical research, including military records and eyewitness accounts. "La Débâcle" was both commercially successful and controversial upon release. Although criticised for its brutal realism and apparent anti-militarism, it is now widely regarded as a significant literary portrayal of the Franco-Prussian War and its aftermath.

Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" (1929) is set during World War I and partly based on Hemingway's own experiences as an ambulance driver in the Italian army.

It follows the story of Frederic Henry, an American lieutenant in the Italian ambulance corps, and his relationship with Catherine Barkley, a British nurse. As the war progresses, Frederic becomes increasingly disillusioned with the conflict. After being wounded and recovering in Milan, he and Catherine attempt to flee to neutral Switzerland to escape the war.

Written in Hemingway's distinctive, minimalist prose style, "A Farewell to Arms" is noted for its realistic depiction of wartime conditions and its restrained emotional tone. The book was both a critical and commercial success upon publication. However, it faced censorship in some countries due to its frank depictions of sex and violence. Today, it is widely considered to be one of Hemingway's most important works, making a significant contribution to American literature and anti-war fiction.

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1940) is another novel by Ernest Hemingway. Set during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), it draws on Hemingway's own experience as a journalist covering the conflict for the North American Newspaper "Alliance".

It tells the story of Robert Jordan, an American explosives expert volunteering with the Republicans, who is assigned to blow up a bridge behind enemy lines. Over the course of four days, he works alongside a group of anti-fascist guerrilla fighters in the mountains and develops a romantic relationship with María, a young woman traumatised by the war.

The title is taken from John Donne's 1624 meditation "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions", which reflects the novel's recurring motif of human interconnectedness: "No man is an island... any man's death diminishes me... therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1941 and remains one of Hemingway's most celebrated works. The novel was adapted into a major motion picture in 1943.

"Life and Fate" is a historical novel by the Soviet author Vasily Grossman. It was written between 1959 and 1960. The book was originally confiscated by the KGB due to its perceived criticism of the Soviet regime. Following Grossman's death in 1964, the novel was first published in Switzerland, after a microfilm copy was smuggled out of the USSR.

"Life and Fate" is set during the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943) in World War II and is considered a sequel to Grossman's earlier novel, "For a Just Cause". Its structure and scope have often been compared to Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace". The story follows multiple characters from various levels of Soviet society, including soldiers, scientists, prisoners and bureaucrats, all of whom are affected by the war and the totalitarian system in which they live.

Central to the novel is the Shaposhnikov family, particularly the physicist Viktor Shtrum, whose work and loyalty are scrutinised by the Soviet state. Due to its depiction of Stalinist repression and its implicit comparison of Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism, "Life and Fate" was banned in the Soviet Union. It is now widely regarded as one of the most significant Russian novels of the 20th century.

"The Things They Carried" (1990) was written by the American author Tim O'Brien. Although it is often described as a novel, the book is actually structured as a linked collection of short stories, many of which were previously published individually in magazines. They are based on O'Brien's own experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War.

The collection follows a group of American soldiers during the war, with recurring characters and events. The narrator, also named Tim O'Brien, recounts their duties, memories and personal burdens. The title story lists the tangible and intangible items that the soldiers carry. Subsequent stories revisit the same individuals and explore their experiences during and after the conflict.

The book was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and it has been widely studied in American literature and history courses.

First published in 2012, "The Yellow Birds" is an historical fiction novel by American author Kevin Powers. It is set during the Iraq War and is based in part on the author's own experiences as a U.S. Army soldier deployed to Iraq.

The novel follows Private John Bartle, a young American soldier, as he reflects on his time in Iraq and his relationship with a fellow soldier, Private Daniel Murphy. The story alternates between the battlefield and Bartle's life after returning home and explores the psychological effects of war such as trauma, guilt and memory.

"The Yellow Birds" was a finalist for the National Book Award. It won the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction in 2013 and was named one of The New York Times Book Review's ten best books of the year.