Nick-Names and Pseudonyms of English Authors Quiz

Answer: Kit

Christopher Marlowe was a great tragedian of the Elizabethan period. He was considered the prince in Elizabethan Theatrical world. He paved the way for Shakespeare. His nickname was 'Kit'. His friend Thomas Nashe regretted his untimely death with the words 'poor deceased Kit Marlowe'.

Answer: Victor and Cazire

In September 1810, a poetry collection entitled 'Original Poetry' by Victor and Cazire was published anonymously by Percy Bysshe Shelley. It was his first published volume of poetry. He wrote the poems in collaboration with his sister Elizabeth. The volume consisted of sixteen poems and a fragment of a poem.

Answer: Glirastes

Shelley adopted a number of pen-names in his early career. His famous poem 'Ozymandias' was published in John Hunt's famous magazine 'The Examiner' on 11 January, 1818 under the pen-name 'Glirastes'. Shelley chose the theme from the description of an Egyptian King Ramesses II.

His friend, Horace Smith, also published a poem entitled 'Ozymandias' in the February issue of the same magazine (i.e. 'The Examiner'). Shelley wrote the poem in a friendly competition with his friend.

Answer: Boz

At the beginning of his career, Charles Dickens used the pen name 'Boz'. He borrowed it from Goldsmith's 'Vicar of Wakefield'. It was pronounced Bozes. He shortened it to 'Boz'. His 'Sketches by Boz' was published in 1836.

Answer: A. M. Barnard

Louisa May Alcott is a renowned name in the literary world. Her 'Little Women' is popular all over the globe. But she had to adopt a male pen-name, A. M. Barnard, at the beginning of her career.

Answer: William Sydney Porter

William Sydney Porter had to pass a few years at the Ohio State Penitentiary. In that jail he developed a good relation with a guard named Orrin Henry. When William Sydney Porter published his first story from that jail, he preferred using a pseudonym and borrowed the name of that guard as his pseudonym.

In course of time his pseudonym overshadowed his real name and he became known to the world as O. Henry.

Answer: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

At the time of publishing 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' ('Alice in Wonderland') Charles Lutwidge Dodgson wanted a new name for himself. He took his first two names and 'translated' them into Latin. That gave him "Carolus Lodovicus". He switched them around and translated them back into English which became Lewis Carroll. The pseudonym ultimately overshadowed the original name.

Answer: Eric Arthur Blair

The Indian-born English novelist Eric Arthur Blair created his pseudonym from the name of the River Orwell in Suffolk. He added George in order to make it a perfect English name.

Answer: Theodor Geisel

The actual name of Dr. Seuss was Theodor Seuss Geisel. He wrote 46 children's books. He was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist. He had also used the pen names 'Dr. Theophrastus Seuss', 'Theo LeSieg' and 'Rosetta stone'.

Answer: Joanne Rowling

Rowling's publisher thought that her series of stories would not be popular with boys if it was seen penned by a woman. So she was advised to adopt a male pen-name. Rowling obliged and adopted the pen-name J. K. Rowling. And, the Harry Potter series of books have been a historic success.