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Quiz about Surprising Czech Authors
Quiz about Surprising Czech Authors

Surprising Czech Authors Trivia Quiz


Do you know Central European literature? Test your knowledge of writers born in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. Identify a known author from the clues. Have a fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by marvo1330. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
marvo1330
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
270,021
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
400
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Let us start in seventeenth century. This Moravian philosopher, educationalist, theologian, and writer died in Amsterdam after decades of exile. He left behind many poems, books, and especially didactical works such as "Didactica Magna" or "Obis Pictus". We call him the teacher of nations and he has a grave and museum in the city of Naarden, Netherlands. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The most well known Czech writer wrote in German. He was born at the end of the nineteenth century to a Prague Jewish family. None of his stories were published during his lifetime, and he asked in his will that the executor destroy all his unpublished work. This is why he is not a Nobel Prize awarded writer: only living writers can be awarded. His friend, Max Brod, published the majority of the work, including "Das Schloss (Castle)" and "Der Prozess". Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This writer and journalist helped a new word to be born. The word 'robot' was used for the first time in his theatrical play "R.U.R." What is the author's name? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This alcohol lover was a Czech humorist and satirist, editor of an anarchist's journal, member of the Bolshevik party in Russia and technically a bigamist. This all is description of a man who is famous because of his book about a dunce who survived the war because of being a dunce. Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Frederika Victoria Gessner was born in Silesian Opava as a granddaughter of the writer and entrepeneur Karel Weisshunh. She moved to Vienna at the age of 12 and later to Africa. Africa was her love and destiny and she spent here the rest of her life. She studied and painted African animals and became famous with a book about her lioness. There is a foundation called after the lioness. Frederika was murdered by her adolescent employee at the age of 70. Under which name do you know her? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. For this man, destiny wrote a role like one from a play. He was born into a family of successful businessmen, and owned real estate including the Barrandov studios. However, the Communist era cast him into dissent forcing him to spend the Communist time as a flyman and as an at-home-unpublished playwright. After the time of red darkness, a Velvet Revolution came and catapulted this person into Prague castle as the president for 13 years. What is his name? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Czechs waited a long time for the first Nobel Prize winning writer. The first Czech received the award in 1984 at the age of 83. This writer had started as a Communist journalist as did many other writers of his generation. However, his way grew apart from the official party quite soon, in 1929 (the year when the Communist Party turned in the direction of Soviet Bolsheviks). He is among the signatories of Charta 77 - group of people in opposition to the regime. Do you know his name? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. This writer is Czech, but he left Patria in 1975 because of the regime to live in Paris. Older books were originally in Czech, like "The Joke", his first book that posted him to the blacklist. Newer books were written in French, but the author reserved the rights to Czech translation just for himself. The only 20th century movie adaptation of his work was not successful (an adaptation of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being") and author has rejected any other try. Do you know his name? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Sometimes life is the best author. This author has many keynotes from his own life. He was born in Prague in 1926. The Nazis sent him to Terezin, Auschwitz and finally to Buchenwald concentration camp at the ages from 16-19, just because of his Jewish ancestry. He survived all of them, but the suffering he experienced orientated his work. He escaped Czechoslovakia in 1968, first to Yugoslavia and later to the USA where he lived and taught at an American University. He split his time between Prague and the USA after 1990 and moved back to Prague when he retired in 2003. His novel, "Lovely Green Eyes", was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. He wrote other famous books; "A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova" and "Dita Saxova" are among them. Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. This person is not primarily a writer; she is a former politician. She was born in Prague as Marie Jana Korbelová to the family of a Czech diplomat. She has written her memoirs of her political career, which achieved unexpected success. Marie Jana served as the first woman in her position, but she served under a different name. Do you know her name? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Let us start in seventeenth century. This Moravian philosopher, educationalist, theologian, and writer died in Amsterdam after decades of exile. He left behind many poems, books, and especially didactical works such as "Didactica Magna" or "Obis Pictus". We call him the teacher of nations and he has a grave and museum in the city of Naarden, Netherlands.

Answer: Jan Amos Comenius

Jan Amos Komensky (original Czech version of his surname) was born in Moravia and died in Amsterdam at the age of 78. Rembrandt painted him in the painting "Old Man". Two universities are called after Komensky, the older in Bratislava and the newer in Prague.
2. The most well known Czech writer wrote in German. He was born at the end of the nineteenth century to a Prague Jewish family. None of his stories were published during his lifetime, and he asked in his will that the executor destroy all his unpublished work. This is why he is not a Nobel Prize awarded writer: only living writers can be awarded. His friend, Max Brod, published the majority of the work, including "Das Schloss (Castle)" and "Der Prozess".

Answer: Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka's mother was from a German speaking Jewish family and his father was from a Czech speaking Jewish family. Kafka was bilingual, but German was his mother tongue. Kafka's life was as dark as his work - Kafka died of tuberculosis of the larynx. Kafka is buried together with his parents in the family's tomb in Prague New Jewish cemetery.
3. This writer and journalist helped a new word to be born. The word 'robot' was used for the first time in his theatrical play "R.U.R." What is the author's name?

Answer: Karel Capek

The word 'robot' is an invention of Josef Capek, Karel's brother, but Karel used it publicly for first time and made it a new standard. The word 'robot' is based on the Czech word 'robota' meaning 'corvée' or 'treadmill'. Slovak and Russian have also word the 'robota', but with the meaning of 'work'.
4. This alcohol lover was a Czech humorist and satirist, editor of an anarchist's journal, member of the Bolshevik party in Russia and technically a bigamist. This all is description of a man who is famous because of his book about a dunce who survived the war because of being a dunce.

Answer: Jaroslav Hasek

Hasek died in age of 40 because of his scourge - tuberculosis. His most famous work is "The Good Soldier Svejk".
5. Frederika Victoria Gessner was born in Silesian Opava as a granddaughter of the writer and entrepeneur Karel Weisshunh. She moved to Vienna at the age of 12 and later to Africa. Africa was her love and destiny and she spent here the rest of her life. She studied and painted African animals and became famous with a book about her lioness. There is a foundation called after the lioness. Frederika was murdered by her adolescent employee at the age of 70. Under which name do you know her?

Answer: Joy Adamson

Poachers killed her third husband, George Adamson, nine years after her death.
6. For this man, destiny wrote a role like one from a play. He was born into a family of successful businessmen, and owned real estate including the Barrandov studios. However, the Communist era cast him into dissent forcing him to spend the Communist time as a flyman and as an at-home-unpublished playwright. After the time of red darkness, a Velvet Revolution came and catapulted this person into Prague castle as the president for 13 years. What is his name?

Answer: Vaclav Havel

Vaclav Havel never finished his university studies. However, he has received honorary doctorates from many universities around the globe.
7. Czechs waited a long time for the first Nobel Prize winning writer. The first Czech received the award in 1984 at the age of 83. This writer had started as a Communist journalist as did many other writers of his generation. However, his way grew apart from the official party quite soon, in 1929 (the year when the Communist Party turned in the direction of Soviet Bolsheviks). He is among the signatories of Charta 77 - group of people in opposition to the regime. Do you know his name?

Answer: Jaroslav Seifert

Jaroslav Seifert was awarded local Czech prizes four times, starting in 1936. Seifert started as a journalist, later was focused only on creative writing. His poetical creation is well known. Seifert's health was not good in 1984, so he could not attend the ceremony himself. His daughter attended on his behalf. Seifert died in 1986.
8. This writer is Czech, but he left Patria in 1975 because of the regime to live in Paris. Older books were originally in Czech, like "The Joke", his first book that posted him to the blacklist. Newer books were written in French, but the author reserved the rights to Czech translation just for himself. The only 20th century movie adaptation of his work was not successful (an adaptation of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being") and author has rejected any other try. Do you know his name?

Answer: Milan Kundera

Czech translation reserved to author only would result in the best book, but also in a long wait. For example, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" from 1984 was published in Czech for the first time in 2006.
9. Sometimes life is the best author. This author has many keynotes from his own life. He was born in Prague in 1926. The Nazis sent him to Terezin, Auschwitz and finally to Buchenwald concentration camp at the ages from 16-19, just because of his Jewish ancestry. He survived all of them, but the suffering he experienced orientated his work. He escaped Czechoslovakia in 1968, first to Yugoslavia and later to the USA where he lived and taught at an American University. He split his time between Prague and the USA after 1990 and moved back to Prague when he retired in 2003. His novel, "Lovely Green Eyes", was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. He wrote other famous books; "A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova" and "Dita Saxova" are among them.

Answer: Arnost Lustig

Seeing once is better then hearing ten times; Arnost Lustig visited Terezin camp with his American students and his son continues in this tradition.
10. This person is not primarily a writer; she is a former politician. She was born in Prague as Marie Jana Korbelová to the family of a Czech diplomat. She has written her memoirs of her political career, which achieved unexpected success. Marie Jana served as the first woman in her position, but she served under a different name. Do you know her name?

Answer: Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright is fluent in Czech, but she wrote her book in English. Michal Zantovsky translated her book. Zantovsky is the former Czech ambassador to the USA and Senator of the Czech Republic.
Source: Author marvo1330

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