Short Books For Busy People Trivia Quiz

Answer: Virginia Woolf

This book was first published in September 1929 and was based on two lectures that Woolf gave at the University of Cambridge in 1928. The title of the story comes from Woolf's opinion that "a woman must have money and room of her own if she is to write fiction". It is an important book for the feminist movement.

Answer: Albert Camus

"The Stranger" or "L'Etranger" was written by French author Albert Camus and published in 1942. It tells the story of Meursault who, after attending his mother's funeral, is involved with a senseless murder. The book is divided into two parts dealing with before and after the murder.

Answer: John Steinbeck

"Of Mice and Men" is a short novel by American novelist John Steinbeck that was first published in 1937. The title is taken from the poem "To a Mouse" by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. It tells the story of two migrant ranch workers, Lennie Small and George Milton, during the Great Depression.

It was made into a successful film in 1939 and again in 1992 with Gary Sinese playing the part of George Milton and John Malkovich as Lennie Small.

Answer: Robert Louis Stevenson

"The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" is a short gothic novel written by the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. It was first published in 1886. It tells the story of the struggle of two opposing personalities, one that is evil and the other that is good, within a person. The story has spawned numerous adaptations on stage, film and radio.

Answer: Aldous Huxley

This short novel by American author Aldous Huxley was first published in 1954. It details the author's experiences while taking the psychodelic drug Mescaline, the principle ingredient from the cactus peyote, which has been used in Native American religious rituals for thousands of years. Huxley was part of an experiment to clinically detail the physical and mental effects of the use of the drug.

Answer: Edgar Allan Poe

"The Masque of the Red Death" is a short gothic novel written by American author Edgar Allan Poe. It was originally published in 1842 with the title "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy". It tells the story of a fictional land ravaged by a deadly disease and a prince's attempts to avoid it by hiding in his palace.

Answer: James Joyce

"Dubliners" is a collection of 15 short stories written by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first published in 1914 and is about the life of the Irish middle class at the beginning of the 20th century. As the stories progress the subjects become progressivly older ending with the final story "The Dead".

Answer: Charles Dickens

"A Christmas Carol" was written by the British author Charles Dickens and was first published in London in 1843 with illustrations by British caricaturist and illustration John Leech. It tells the story of the bitter miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounters with a series of ghostly visitors over one night which result in a big change of heart and attitude.

This classic work has been the basis for countless adaptations on screen, stage and radio and has never been out of print since its first publication.

Answer: Ernest Hemingway

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a short novel by American author Ernest Hemingway which was first published in the Esquire magazine in 1936. It tells the story of an American author and his rich wife who are on a safari in Africa and is considered by many to be Hemingway's greatest work. A film version based on the book was made in 1952 with Gregory Peck playing the leading role.

Answer: Joseph Conrad

"Heart of Darkness" is a short novel written by the Polish-British author Joseph Conrad orginally published in 1899 as a three part serial in Blackwood's Magazine. It follows the journey of a steamboat commander, Charlie Marlow, travelling on an African river to meet an ivory trader named Kurtz.

The book raises important issues about racism and colonialism. The 1979 film "Apocolypse Now" which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola was inspired by the story.