Writers & Authors Trivia

1. This author, almost exclusively known for his works "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo", used a colour coded system for writing. Who was he?

From Quiz Hard Habit to Break

Answer: Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas was very particular about what colour paper he used for different types of writing: blue paper for fiction, yellow paper for poetry, and pink paper for articles. Once, while traveling, he ran out of blue paper and resorted to white paper instead. He later said that it made that work suffer. Alexandre Dumas was born on July 24, 1802, in France. He wrote his first play, "Henry lll and His Court" in 1829. His second play, "Christine", came out the next year. Both were so successful, Dumas took up a full time writing career and, in 1836, his first novel, "The Countess of Salisbury" was published. In 1844, he went on to write "The Three Musketeers", and "The Count of Monte Cristo" followed two years later. She married Ida Ferrier in 1840, but they had no children together. Ida died in 1859. Throughout his life and marriage, Dumas had several mistresses and fathered at least four children. On December 5, 1870, Dumas died, most likely of a heart attack. He was 68 years old.

From Quiz More Authors Who Also Wrote Hymns

Answer: William Cowper

Another saying still heard today derives from a hymn of Cowper's: "God works in mysterious ways." The hymn is "God Moves in a Mysterious Way His Wonders to Perform." In 1779, Cowper published "Olney Hymns" with another hymn writer, his friend, John Newton.

From Quiz 19th Century American Literary Men

Answer: William Dean Howells

William Dean Howells and Joseph Twichell were probably Mark Twain's two closest friends. As an editor, Howells helped to promote Twain's work. They kept up a monumental correspondence. Twichell was Twain's one-time minister.

From Quiz Choo Choose Thomas! Part 2

Answer: The Great Western Railway

Wilbert Awdry was the son of an Anglican vicar; his family moved around a lot when he was young. One of his more permanent homes, called "Journey's End" by the family, was just 200 yards from the Box Tunnel, which was built from 1838-1841, and is considered to be an important feature of the Great Western Main Line. Awdry wrote that as a young boy he would listen to the train whistles at night, and learned to distinguish between the different coded signals. It was at that time that he decided, "There was no doubt in my mind that steam engines all had definite personalities". One of Thomas's friends, Duck, worked for the Great Western Railway before coming to the Island of Sodor. In the story, "The Thomas Way", Duck learns that his original mantra, "There are two ways of doing things: the Great Western way, or the wrong way", might not be correct; there is a third way of doing things - the Thomas way! Nevertheless, Duck has the final word, pointing out that the Great Western Way is usually the best!

From Quiz Match The Right Writer To The Right Written Tome

Answer: Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway came into this world on July 21, 1899 in Cicero, Illinois. Cicero later became known as Oak Park. He started out as a journalist but then went to serve in WW1 and later won a Pulitzer (1953) for his novel "Old Man and The Sea". He suffered from depression and alcoholism and committed suicide on July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho. He has famous grandchildren, Margaux and Mariel, both of whom made names for themselves in the film and entertainment industry. My favorite quote of Ernest's is "The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."

From Quiz Authors of India

Answer: Swami Vivekanand

Swami Vivekanand is responsible for the inspirational statement, "Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached." His real name was Narendranath Vishwanath Datta and he was born on 12 January 1863 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He was a disciple of Ram Krishna Paramhansa. He founded the Ramkrishna Mission. He died on 4 July 1902 (aged 39) at Belur Math, West Bengal, India. He also founded Arya Samaj. He wrote several books such as "Vedanta Philosophy", "Hatha Yoga", "Karma Yoga", "Gyana Yoga" and "Inspired Talks".

From Quiz Kick The Bucket

Answer: Tuberculosis

John Keats was born on October 31, 1795 and died on February 23, 1821 at the age of 25. Although tuberculosis took this poet so soon, many of his works are still remembered today. Keats is considered one of the greatest Romantics in the history of poetry.

From Quiz Authors from India (Part II)

Answer: A.P.J Abdul Kalam

The full name of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. He is an Indian scientist. He also served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He is known as "Missile Man of India". His other famous books include: "India 2020", "Mere Sapno Ka Bharat", "Wings of Fire", "Ignited Minds", "The Scientific India", "My Journey" and some more books.

From Quiz Might Makes Write

Answer: Spain

Orwell is one of the best known novelists in British literature, especially for his writings about the dangers of totalitarianism. One of the defining events that helped shape his political views was the Spanish Civil War, in which the Spanish Nationalists fought the Spanish Republicans for control of Spain. Orwell volunteered to fight for Republican Spain, initially seeing the civil war as a conflict between democracy and fascism. However, the Spanish Republicans were a very fractured group as while the general goal was to defeat the Nationalists and secure the Spanish Republic, there was infighting between the various factions that composed the Spanish Republicans. The faction Orwell had joined up with, the POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista), were accused of treason by other Spanish Communist factions as a result of the POUM's opposition to Stalinism. The crackdown against the POUM by those it once considered allies greatly influenced Orwell's future writings as while he considered himself a democratic socialist and an anti-fascist, he was also an anti-communist with a deep dislike of Stalinism.

From Quiz Writers of the Ancient World

Answer: Homer

The "Iliad" is an epic poem set during the war between Troy (Ilium) and several Greek states. The core of the story is a quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, but there are many other events in the epic. The "Odyssey" tells us about Ulysses, one of the Greeks in the Trojan War and his adventures during his trip back home, which lasted ten years. Homer is said to have been blind. His poems originated eight centuries before Christ and are the first works of Western Literature.

From Quiz Drink up me Hearties

Answer: William Sydney Porter

William Sydney Porter is more popularly known as O. Henry. A supremely prolific writer, Porter had his problems. Despite his success and talent, Porter liked to indulge in alcohol. His excess in drinking led to his death in 1910 of cirrhosis of the liver with complications. Nevertheless, he left a literary legacy surpassed by only a few.

From Quiz Meter Magic

Answer: John Greenleaf Whittier

Snow Bound "The sun that brief December day Rose cheerless over hills of gray,..? Born in 1807 of Quaker parents on a farm in Haverhill Massachusetts, John Greenleaf Whittier is the author of the poem, "Snowbound". At the age of 19, Whittier was first published by the "The Newbury Post Free Press". Whittier's sister sent one of his first poems, "The Exile's Express", to "The Newbury Post Free Press" and John's poems were published weekly in that newspaper. Under the guidance of the renowned abolitionist and publisher of "The Newbury Post Free Press", William Lloyd Garrison, Whittier became a strong supporter of the Abolitionist movement. His most famous work, "Snow Bound" firmly established his popular and financial success as a poet. John Greenleaf Whittier was a member of the "The Fireside Poets" group.

From Quiz Published Junkies

Answer: Opium

Coleridge's most famous poem, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," was first published in a joint book of poems which contained work by William Wordsworth. The collection was titled "Lyrical Ballads" (1798).

From Quiz Authors - Bits and Pieces

Answer: Colleen McCullough

McCullough was born in outback Australia in 1937. On reaching adulthood, she spent almost twenty years researching and teaching in the medical field. It was then that she wrote her first two works. The twenty-three books she churned out over the following years saw her become wealthy, and she moved to live permanently on Norfolk Island in the late 1970s. Her novels include "Tim" (1974) which tells the story of an intellectually slow young man and an older professional woman who marries him. Made into a film in 1979, it starred Mel Gibson and Piper Laurie. "The Thorn Birds", written in 1977, was made into a television series in 1983, starring Richard Chamberlain and a host of other top name actors. It relates the love story between a priest and a young woman. Yawnnnn. In 2004, a group of seven men on Pitcairn Island were charged with 55 sexual offences. These had taken place on various under-age girls of the island over a lengthy period of time. It was a long, ugly case, with the islanders defending their traditional sexual life style, and stating that this practice was common and acceptable. Colleen McCullough stated, in defence of the men, that it was "indigenous customs" and that it was "Polynesian to break your girls in at 12". This came from a highly educated woman, born into a civilised society in the 20th century.

From Quiz Those Scribbling Jailbirds

Answer: Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was credited by George Washington with having won the American Revolution with his "Common Sense" and "Crisis" publications. After the conflict, Paine eventually left the fledgling United States to return to England, where he began stirring up more revolutionary ideas with his "Rights of Man". Charged with treason, he fled to France, where he began feverishly fanning the flames of revolution there. However, his hatred of monarchical systems of government waned when he saw how bloody and chaotic France's revolution had become. He was accused of sympathy for the crown and imprisoned but he escaped trial and most likely the guillotine after the American ambassador to France, James Monroe, talked the French authorities into turning Paine over to him. Paine's American citizenship was renewed, but the incorrigible rebel published "The Age of Reason", in which he attacked institutionalized religion (including Christianity), and ruined his reputation. He died poor and unliked, and his body, being refused burial in a Christian cemetery, was interred on his own farm.

From Quiz Midwest Authors

Answer: He never obtained a driver's license

Even though Bradbury has lived for many years in Los Angeles, one of the most car intensive cities in the world, Bradbury has never obtained a driver's license. George H. W. Bush couldn't stand broccoli. Many writers are known for only writing late at night, but Bradbury wasn't one of them. Bradbury wrote every day. He did this supposedly due to an incident in his youth which made him want to "live forever." He used writing to do this. Bradbury died on June 5, 2012 at the age of 91. Bradbury doesn't favor book burning and censorship, as his "Fahrenheit 451" so ably points out. (JMElston)

From Quiz Round and Round the Table

Answer: Alexander Woollcott

Alexander Woollcott, then the outspoken drama critic of the New York Times, had gathered at the Algonquin, by chance, with a group of fellow writers whose intention it was to roast him. They had such a jolly time that everyone vowed to return the next day and every day after that for more than 10 years. Woollcott is supposedly the inspiration for Sheridan Whiteside, the leading character in 'The Man Who Came to Dinner'. The Brandy Alexander is also supposed to have been named after him. He is also the originator of the quote "Everything I really like to do, is illegal, immoral or fattening". A viciously amusing man that savaged the Broadway theater for sport, he always gave true talent it's due. "At 83, George Bernard Shaw's mind was perhaps not quite as good as it used to be, but it was still better than anyone else's."

From Quiz Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know

Answer: Harrow

After beginning his formal education at Aberdeen Grammar School, Lord Byron was sent to Harrow School in 1801. He had the dubious honor of representing Harrow in the cricket team for the first Eton and Harrow Match, which was played in 1805 at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. He went on to Trinity College, Cambridge.

From Quiz Initially Famous

Answer: Thomas Stearns

1888-1965. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Eliot settled in England and became a British citizen in 1927. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. His ashes are buried in Somerset, England, but he has a commemorative stone in 'Poets' Corner' Westminster Abbey.

From Quiz Authors I Love

Answer: J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling wrote the "Harry Potter" books of which there are seven in the series. She was born on July 31, 1965. The "J. K." in her name stands for "Joanne Kathleen", even though Kathleen is not her middle name. She goes by Jo.

From Quiz A Literary Gazetteer of Wales

Answer: Tenby

There is a Blue Plaque on the wall of No 2, Croft Terrace, which commemorates the fact that 'Beatrix Potter 1866-1943 Author and Artist While staying at 2 Croft Terrace in 1900 drew the pond in the garden which featured in the tale of Peter Rabbit'.

From Quiz Authorial Family Ties

Answer: Christie

Agatha Miller married Archie Christie, and they had a daughter named Rosalind. Agatha's second husband was called Max Mallowan. Agatha Christie is, of course, one of the best known of all British authors.

From Quiz Literary Suicides

Answer: Arthur Koestler

Koestler was politically active throughout his life, embracing at different times Communism, anti-Communism, anti-Nazism, Zionism and euthanasia. A few years prior to his death he became the Vice-President of a voluntary euthanasia advocacy society in England. His suicide was committed jointly with his third wife, Cynthia.

From Quiz Literary Biographies

Answer: Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker, born in Dublin in 1847, is best remembered for one single work: the classic horror tale "Dracula". In 1878 he was chosen by the famous Shakespearean actor Henry Irving to manage the Lyceum Theatre in London, and held that position till 1902, when the theatre closed. Stoker and Irving were not only bound by business interests, but also by a strong, lifelong friendship. It is said that Irving, with his charismatic presence, peremptory manners and tall figure, had been the model for the figure of Dracula. Nevertheless, he never consented to play the role on stage. Celebrated Irish writers were also Samuel Beckett (1906-1989, "Waiting for Godot"); George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950, "Pygmalion"); and Oscar Wilde (1850-1900, "The Picture of Dorian Gray").

From Quiz Collected Literary Oddities Vol. 2

Answer: Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) was a Spanish novelist, playwright and poet. Although a prolific writer for his time it is as the creator of 'Don Quixote' that he is best known. He was an important figure in the history of Spanish literature. He was a veteran of the famous sea battle at Lepanto (1571) where his left hand was maimed. Some years later he and his brother were later captured by Turkish pirates and the brothers were held as slaves for five years (1580) until their family raised the money for their ransom.

From Quiz Collected Literary Oddities Vol. 1

Answer: Sophie Dahl

Sophie Dahl's grandfathers were Stanley Holloway and Roald Dahl. She is a well known British fashion model as well as an authoress. She has received some notoriety for posing naked for posters advertising perfumery. At the time the posters attracted the second highest level of complaints from the public of the USA.

From Quiz Authors from A to Z

Answer: Louisa May Alcott

She also wrote "Hospital Sketches" (1863) which was based on her experiences as a Union nurse during the American Civil War.

From Quiz Author Anagrams

Answer: William Shakespeare

Other appropriate anagrams of Shakespeare's name are "We all make his praise" and "A weakish speller, am I?" And Hamlet's celebrated line "Frailty, thy name is woman!" can be turned into "It's a whim of male tyranny!"

From Quiz Writers and Prisons

Answer: Richard Lovelace

"Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage". Many people know these famous lines, but do not know the name of the man who wrote them.

From Quiz Dramatic Lives of Literary People

Answer: John Clare

Clare lost one child in infancy and several others as young adults (mostly due to tuberculosis). His "I Am" is a fine poem - written from an asylum.

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Last Updated May 17 2025 5:44 AM

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