Authors quiz

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1. Thirty minus six

The ancient Greek poet Tryphiodorus is famed for having written an epic poem of 24 books, in which each book:

2. Fancy place

Which English writers created the imaginary country of Gondal?

3. The art of detection

Which American author is generally regarded as the inventor of modern detective fiction?

4. Whale of an inscription

In 1851, Herman Melville published what some have called the greatest American novel, Moby Dick. To which well-known author of his acquaintance did Melville dedicate the work?

5. Nom de plume

The American short story writer William Sydney Porter is better known by his pseudonym. What was it?

6. Verse imperial

Which British writer was known as the “poet of Empire”?

7. The Tale of Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter is celebrated as an author of children’s books, beginning with The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which she published herself in 1901. After marrying in 1913, aged 47, Potter all but gave up writing, and devoted herself instead to:

8. Curious about Conrad

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was the author of masterpieces like Lord Jim, Nostromo and Heart of Darkness. Surprisingly, Conrad:

9. The Roadrunner and the Headache

Before achieving worldwide success, which author of crime dramas wrote for pulp magazines in the 1920s, creating such heroes as El Paisano, the “Roadrunner”, Ben Harper, the “Man Who Couldn’t Forget”, and Ed Migrane, the “Headache”?

10. The mask before the man

What was the pseudonym of the famous British writer Eric Arthur Blair?