Q1) 24th April, 1184 BC, is traditional date for the Fall Of Troy, at the end of the war between the Trojans: and whom … ?
Q2) More to the point, the war ended when the Trojan’s enemies — famously — gave them a wooden … what … ?
Q3) Which blind poet famously wrote about the Trojan War … ?
Q4) The war was started when who eloped with Prince Paris of Troy … ?
Q5) The remains of the city are in what’s now which country … ?
Q6) And finally … who was the German businessman and amateur archeologist who excavated Troy … ?
Q1) 23rd April is World Book Night: in which year of the 1990s was it first celebrated … ?A1) 1995.
Q2) In part, World Book Night marks the death of William Shakespeare, on Saint Georges Day: in which year of the 17th Century … ?A2) 1616.
Q3) Equally to the point, that day also saw the death of Miguel de Cervantes. Which of his works is considered by many to be the world’s first novel … ?A3) Don Quixote. (Which — handily — is one of the few books you can sing about: in a conveniently melodic 1980s fashion.)
Q4) There are twenty World Book Night Books being handed out in the UK, this year: name any one of them … ? A4) The Secret Scripture, by Sebastian Barry, Noughts And Crosses, by Malorie Blackman, Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier, The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde , Casino Royale, Ian Fleming, The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory, A Little History of The World, E. H. Gombrich, Little Face by Sophie Hannah, Damage by Josephine Hart, The Island by Victoria Hislop, Jackie Kay’s Red Road Dust, Last Night, Another Soldier by Andy McNab, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Bernaerd Schlink’sThe Reader, № 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, the classic Treasure Island, by R. L. Stevenson, The Road Home by Rose Tremaine, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal, by Jeanette Winterson, and finally — and my choice of handout — Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges, by John Wagner.
Q5) In which Spanish region are books traditionally given to one’s sweetheart on Saint Georges Day … ?A5) Catalonia.
Q6) Excluding things like The Bible, The Qu’ran and The Communist Manifesto, what 1859 book is supposed to be the biggest selling in the English language … ?A6) A Tale Of Two Cities.
Q7) And finally … what name is given to the original official publication of Shakespeare’s plays … ?A7) The First Folio.
“Victory passes back and forth between men.”Homer
