A new series beginning in 1800.
Beginning in the early years of the novel – as we know and love it – each quiz covers a decade of literary events – 2 questions per year. Births, deaths, publications, events; fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays and books for children.
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Question of
1930 – Who are the divorced-newly-married-to-other-people couple in Noel Cowards’ delightful and risqué Private Lives?
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Elyot and Amanda
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Victor and Sibyl
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Question of
1930 – Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying takes its title from which ancient work?
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The Odyssey
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The Iliad
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Question of
1931 – Which play by Lynn Riggs opened on Broadway in this year and, in later years, was used as the basis for the musical Oklahoma?
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Green Grow the Lilacs
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Beautiful Day
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Question of
1931 – Which classic children’s book is banned in China for anthropomorphism?
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Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
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Winnie the Pooh
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Question of
1932 – Which major research library opened in Washington DC in this year?
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The Folger Shakespeare Library
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The Georgetown University Library
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Question of
1932 – In Huxley’s Brave New World the years are labelled AF (as in AF 632), what do the initials AF stand for?
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After Ford
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Anno Fidem
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Question of
1933 – ‘When you publish a book, it’s the world’s book. The world edits it.’ Which American author was born in New Jersey on March 19th?
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Philip Roth
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Norman Mailer
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Question of
1933 – Vera Brittain’s autobiographical book Testament of Youth tells of her time in the first world war in which role?
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A nurse
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An ambulance driver
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Question of
1934 – The first full length novel by PG Wodehouse featuring Jeeves is published, what is it called?
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Thank you, Jeeves
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Right Ho, Jeeves
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Question of
1934 – In Christie’s famous novel Murder on the Orient Express why has the train been held up?
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Stuck in snow
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Landslide
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Question of
1935 – Sinclair Lewis’ novel It Can’t Happen Here is published. What can’t happen here?
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Totalitarian rule in the US
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Trench warfare
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Question of
1935 – Which British publisher revolutionised the book industry by introducing a list of popular, cheap paperbacks?
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Penguin
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Faber & Faber
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Question of
1936 – From January Jewish booksellers in Nazi Germany are no longer allowed to sell books. True or false?
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True
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False
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Question of
1936 – In Mitchell’s classic novel, when Rhett drives the wagon rescuing the residents of Peachtree Street out of Atlanta, how many people is he rescuing?
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4
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3
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Question of
1937 – ‘A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green…’ which Steinbeck classic opens with this line?
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Of Mice and Men
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East of Eden
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Question of
1937 – Which JRR Tolkien novel has the subtitle There and Back Again?
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The Hobbit
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Lord of the Rings
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Question of
1938 – The infamous radio drama of Wells’ War of the Worlds, that caused widespread panic, was broadcasted as part of what weekend’s schedule?
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Halloween
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Independence Day
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Question of
1938 – In du Maurier’s classic, Rebecca, how is the narrator making her living when she meets Maxim?
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A companion
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A lady’s maid
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Question of
1939 – Which of Christie’s novels published in this year has gone on to be the world’s best selling mystery novel?
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And Then There Were None
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Death on the Nile
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Question of
1939 – In TS Eliot’s delightful poems Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, who is the Railway Cat?
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Skimbleshanks
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Bustopher Jones
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