Which Ancient Greek poet wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are central to the history of literature?
Homer
It is believed that Homer was blind. He is likely to have lived in the 7th or 8th centuries B.C.
Which 10th- and 11th-century Japanese author wrote what is widely considered to be the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji?
Murasaki Shikibu
(c. 978 - c. 1014 or 1025)
Shikibu’s works influenced later generations of Japanese writers who were inspired by her stylistic and linguistic skill.
Which English poet wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories written in rhyme, as told by pilgrims to each other?
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1336-1387)
Chaucer is regarded as the father of English poetry and the first major poet to write in English.
Which English poet and playwright wrote the famous plays Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, and Othello?
William Shakespeare
(1564-1616)
Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets and is regarded as the greatest Anglophone writer.
A large number of familiar English sayings and expressions come from his works. He spent most of his life in London, where he managed the Globe Theatre.
Which French author is known for his classic Fables, a series of stories with animal characters that poke fun at, and dispense moral lessons about the human condition?
Jean de La Fontaine
(1621-1695)
de La Fontaine’s fables are considered among the masterpieces of French literature. His total collection consists of 12 books with more than 240 fables.
Considered a comedy genius, which French playwright and actor entertained Parisian aristocrats and the court of Louis XIV with plays like Tartuffe, or The Impostor, The Miser, and The Imaginary Invalid?
Molière
(1622-1673)
Molière’s real name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, and he was adored by Parisian aristocrats and the court of Louis XIV.
Which Anglo-Irish satirist and author wrote the novel Gulliver’s Travels and the satirical essay A Modest Proposal?
Jonathan Swift
(1667-1745)
Swift is famous for his use of ironic invented personas and was widely regarded as the foremost prose satirist in the English language.
His goal with his writing was to call attention to the problems experienced by the people in Ireland.
Which German author and politician wrote the two-part play Faust: widely considered to be Germany’s greatest contribution to world literature?
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(1749-1832)
This 18th- and 19th-century author also wrote the novels The Sorrows of Young Werther and Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship.
Which English novelist wrote Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, amongst other love stories, and is beloved for her social commentary and irony?
Jane Austen
(1775-1817)
Which German siblings collected folklore and published collections with classics like Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty?
The Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm consisted of two brothers: Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859).
The Grimm brothers impacted the world most with their book Die Deutsche Grammatik (The German Grammar). They were the first authors to research its origin and study the development of the German dialects.
Which English Romantic poet of the 19th century is best known for his satirical poem Don Juan?
Lord Byron
(1788-1824)
Lord Byron is one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement and regarded as one of the greatest English poets.
Which English author penned the novel Frankenstein?
Mary Shelley
(1797-1851)
Shelley was succesful in documenting her ideas about power, alienation, and knowledge in her writings to such a degree that other writers still try to imitate her unique style.
Her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the founding feminist philosophers.
Which French writer wrote the historical novels The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo?
Alexandre Dumas
(1802-1870)
Dumas became one of the most popular and prolific authors in France due to his plays and adventure novels.
His works have been translated in nearly 100 languages.
Which French Romantic author wrote the novels Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame?
Victor Hugo
(1802-1885)
Hugo eventually became the figurehead of the Romantic literary movement.
His writing inspired the restoration of the Notre Dame and a renewed appreciation for Renaissance buildings.
Which American essayist and lecturer was a major leader of Transcendentalism and famously championed individualism through his essay Self-Reliance?
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803-1882)
Emerson was a major leader of Transcendentalism. His work had a strong influence on the American romantic movement and greatly influenced thinkers, poets, and writers.
Considered one of history’s greatest storytellers, which 19th-century Danish author wrote the children’s fairy tales The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes,The Princess and the Pea, and The Little Mermaid?
Hans Christian Andersen
(1805-1875)
Andersen lifted himself from poverty to become an international celebrity by becoming one of history’s greatest storytellers.
His work raised the popularity of the fairy tale genre and his stories were used for both entertainment and moral education.
Which American author’s best-known works include the poem The Raven and the story The Fall of the House of Usher?
Edgar Allen Poe
(1809-1849)
Poe is known for his macabre horror stories and for establishing the detective fiction genre with his mysteries. Poe was also an early forerunner of the science fiction form.
While Edgar Allen Poe is hailed for his influence on culture and many authors to date, he received little recognition for his work during his lifetime.
Which English poet wrote: ‘Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all?
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
(1809-1892)
Lord Tennyson was a Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and was awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his first pieces, “Timbuktu” in 1829.
Lord Tennyson’s other well-known works include The Charge of the Light Brigade and Crossing the Bar.
Which 19th-century English author wrote A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield?
Charles Dickens
(1812-1870)
Dicken’s work was immensely popular during his lifetime, and he is seen as one of the great writers of the Victorian era.
Which American abolitionist, author, philosopher, and transcendentalist wrote the famous essay Civil Disobedience and the book Walden?
Henry David Thoreau
(1817-1862)
Thoreau drew attention to self-reliance, individuality, and anti-materialism. He also sharply questioned the way people lived.
Which American humanist poet and journalist wrote the collection Leaves of Grass, which contains the poem “Song of Myself”?
Walt Whitman
(1819-1892)
Whitman is known for his use of free verse, sexuality, and celebration of the material world.
His work inspired many authors to merge visual art and poetry.
Which Russian author of the 19th century is best known for his works The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, and The Idiot?
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
(1821-1881)
Dostoyevsky, along with Leo Tolstoy, is regarded as one of the greatest Russian novelists.
His books have been translated into more than 170 languages.
Which French author wrote Around the World in Eighty Days, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Center of the Earth?
Jules Verne
(1828-1905)
Verne’s novels laid the groundwork for science fiction.
They are typically well-documented, set in the 19th century, and and accurately represent the technological advances of that century.
Considered one of the great Russian novelists, who wrote Anna Karenina and War and Peace?
Leo Tolstoy
(1828-1910)
Tolstoy has been nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 but did not manage to win one.
The literary community agrees that this is still a major controversy.
Which American poet is famous for her short, unconventional poems, like I taste a liquor never brewed, Wild nights - Wild nights!, and Hope is the Thing with Feathers?
Emily Dickinson
(1830-1886)
Dickinson was regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry.
She is known for her unconventional broken rhyming meter and random capitalization.
Additionally, her use of metaphor and overall innovative style created a positive response with her readers.
Which English author wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass?
Lewis Carroll
(1832-1898)
Carroll wrote some of the world’s most recognizable characters and was noted for his skill with word play, logic, and fantasy.
His works included 11 books on mathematics and 12 works of literary fiction.
His real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.
Which American author and humorist wrote the novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, among many others?
Mark Twain
(1835-1910)
Twain led the democratic movement in American literature. He opposed the idea of writing in “literary English” meaning that his writing was written in the speech of the people.
This resulted in even the uneducated, poor layers of society being able to read his stories; Twain simplified American literary English.
Fun fact: his real name was Samuel Clemens.
Which German philosopher and cultural critic wrote the famous works Beyond Good and Evil, God is Dead, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900)
Coined the father of nihilism, Nietzsche believed that there was no objective order or structure in the world except the one we give it.
He is well-known for his writings on good and evil, the concept of the super-man, and the end of religion.
Celebrated for his wit, which Irish author wrote the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the play The Importance of Being Earnest?
Oscar Wilde
(1854-1900)
Wilde is widely regarded as a great playwright and he was a spokesman for the English Aesthetic movement during the late 19th-century, which advocated that art should be created for art’s sake.
Which Scottish writer created the character Sherlock Holmes?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(1859-1930)
Sherlock Holmes became one of the most vivid and enduring characters ever written in English fiction.
Doyle’s detective Holmes became popular because he was the first character to use forensics to solve a case. It should be noted that this was written during a time where most guilty verdicts where based on hearsay.
His stories emphasized the importance of an uncontaminated crime scene during police investigation.
Which Russian playwright and writer of short stories wrote the plays Seagull and Uncle Vanya; and the short stories The Chameleon and Vanka?
Anton Chekov
(1860-1904)
Chekov’s writing captured life in the Russia of his time by using literary techniques common in late 19th century Russian realism.
Which English author and poet wrote The Jungle Book?
Rudyard Kipling
(1865-1936)
Born in British India, Kipling wrote extensively about British imperialism and British soldiers in India.
His works would eventually earn him a Nobel Prize in Literature and influence famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway.
Other famous works include the poems The White Man’s Burden and Gunga Din, the novella The Man Who Would Be King.
Which English author is best known for his science fiction works The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man?
H.G. Wells
(1866-1946)
Wells is often seen as the father of science fiction as his contribution to the world of sci-fi is immense.
Which French author wrote the multi-volume novel À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time), which explores the theme of memory?
Marcel Proust
(1871-1922)
Proust is the writer of what is officially known as the longest novel in the world. The book À la recherche du temps perdu has 1,267,069 words in it.
Which expatriate American writer, intellectual, and literary figure hosted American artists at her Parisian home for many years and published The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas?
Gertrude Stein
(1874-1946)
An American modernist with a revolutionary ambition, Stein defied societal norms of feminity while embarking on a literary career.
She is often credited with coining the term “Lost Generation”, which refers to writers, poets, and musicians in Paris during the 1920s that discussed themes such as the loss of identity and tradition and the disillusionment in the post-World War I society.
Which 19th- and 20th-century American poet penned Mending Wall, Acquainted with the Night, and The Road Not Taken?
Robert Frost
(1874-1963)
Frost was celebrated by critics and readers alike and noted for his realistic treatment of rural life in America.
Which celebrated Irish author wrote Ulysses, Dubliners, and Finnegans Wake?
James Joyce
(1882-1941)
Joyce noted as an avant-garde modernist and for his occasional use of stream-of-consciousness writing.
His experimental use of language and literary methods such as the interior monologue, puns, allusions, and invented words earned him worldwide fame.
Which pioneering female novellist wrote the To the Lighthouse, Mrs. Dalloway, and Orlando?
Virginia Woolf
(1882-1941)
Woolf was a pioneering female novellist and her writing raised the question of why women cannot be independent - she contributed to changing the role of women in society.
Her writing is known for its modernist, particularly for her adoption of stream-of-consciousness style.
Which German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, whose name is now synonymous with an international literary award, wrote the novella The Metamorphosis and the novels The Castle and The Trial?
Franz Kafka
(1883-1924)
Since 2001, Franz Kafka is synonymous with The Franz Kafka Prize, an international literary award.
He is noted for the surreal, bizarre nature of his writing.
Which English author is best known for her crime and detective novels, like Murder on the Orient Express and The ABC Murders?
Agatha Christie
(1890-1976)
Christie is one of the most widely read and translated authors of all time.
She wrote a total of 66 detective novels—including And Then There Were None—and 14 short story collections selling over 2 billion copies.
Which British writer and linguist wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy?
J.R.R. Tolkien
(1892-1973)
In 2008, The Times ranked Tolkien sixth on a list of “the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.”
Noted for his sometimes unconventional style and use of presentation or typography, which American poet and author published i carry your heart with me and anyone lived in a pretty how town?
E.E. Cummings
(1894-1962)
Cummings lack of stylistic and structural conformity drew a lot of attention to his works.
He wrote approximately 2,900 poems making him one of the most important American poets of the 20th century.
Which American author wrote The Great Gatsby and popularized the term Jazz Age with his writing?
F. Scott Fitzgerald
(1896-1940)
Fitzgerald became influential with the youth culture of America because of the way he conveyed the sense of hope America promised its youth only to be met with disappointment.
He was a member of the Lost Generation of American writers in Paris in the 1920s. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Tender is the Night, and This Side of Paradise are also some of his many stories.
The term Jazz Age has now come to signify the 1920s, an age of miracles, excess, and satire, in both academic and pop culture.
Which American author wrote The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Sanctuary?
William Faulkner
(1897-1962)
Faulkner won two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction and a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Which Argentinian writer and poet wrote Aleph, Ficciones, and Los Conjurados?
Jorge Luis Borges
(1899-1986)
Borges is credited for bringing Latin American literature in front of a global audience.
He is also known for his short stories that combine myth, fantasy, magical realism, and philosophy.
Which American writer and journalist wrote Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web?
E.B. White
(1899-1985)
White also co-authored The Elements of Style and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1978 for his letters, essays, and full body of work.
Known for his adventursome and hedonistic lifestyle, which American author wrote The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom the Bell Tolls?
Ernest Hemingway
(1899-1961)
Hemingway was known for his economical, simple writing, and adventurous lifestyle. He won both a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and a Nobel Prize in Literature. He was also a member of the Lost Generation of American writers in Paris in the 1920s.
Hemingway coined the term Iceberg Theory, a writing technique that focuses on using surface elements and does not explicitly mention underlying themes. Hemingway believed that the deeper meaning of stories should be implicit.
Other novels: The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms
Closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance, which American author is best known for his poems The Weary Blues and The Negro Speaks of Rivers?
Langston Hughes
(1902-1967)
Hughes had a strong sense of racial pride, which he portrayed throughout his writing.
His poems, plays, and novels promoted equality, celebrated African-American culture, and condemned racism and injustice.
Hughes won nine literary awards with his works.
Known for his witty social commentary, which English author wrote classics like Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four?
George Orwell
(1903-1950)
Orwell’s real name was Eric Blair. His works addressed the major political movements of his times with a focus on communism, fascism, and imperialism.
Orwell’s novels are a common source of debate during sociology and cultural studies making his writing a force of change and thought.
Which American illustrator and author wrote children’s books, most famously: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Green Eggs and Ham?
Dr. Seuss
(1904-1991)
Seuss left a major impact on children’s literature and has improved the experience of children with literature. He did this by exploring new ways of writing by adding techniques like rhyme and humor to the genre.
Dr. Seuss won a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for his work with children’s books.
His real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel.
Which French existentialist, feminist writer, and philosopher is most famous for the treatise The Second Sex and the novels Les Mandarins and L’Invitée?
Simone de Beauvoir
(1908-1986)
De Beauvoir is seen as a significant philosopher of existentialism and a pioneer in contemporary philosophical feminism.
Her works placed emphasis on the fact that women need access to the same things as men.
She is also known for her lifelong relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre.
Which English author wrote the James Bond series of spy novels?
Ian Fleming
(1908-1964)
Fleming’s James Bond stories have sold over 100 million copies worldwide and have been turned into profitable movies.
The Times named Fleming the fourteenth greatest British writer in any genre since WWII (1945).
He also wrote the children’s book Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car.
Which American author is known for his autobiography Black Boy and his novels The Outsider and Native Son?
Richard Wright
(1908-1960)
Wright was a model and mentor to many African-American writers as he was one of the first African-American writers to protest the white treatment of Blacks.
His literary work is concerned with racial themes, especially those that concern discrimination and violence.
Which prolific and beloved British author is known for his children’s stories, such as Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Roald Dahl
(1916-1990)
Dahl sold over 250 million copies of his books worldwide and he has been hailed as one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century.
Dahl also published much darker, only-for-adult short stories such as Deception and Cruelty.
Which Russian novelist was an outspoken critic of communism and raised awareness in the West about the brutalities in the Soviet Union with his book The Gulag Archipelago?
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
(1918-2008)
Solzhenitsyn’s works helped to raise global awareness of political repression in the Soviet Union.
He also received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970.
Which American writer and professor of biochemistry created the three laws of robotics and wrote famous books such as Foundation, I, Robot, and The Caves of Steel?
Isaac Asimov
(1920-1992)
Asimov wrote and edited over 500 books during his lifetime.
He has been inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 1997
Which American comic book writer co-created characters such as Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, and Spider-Man?
Stan Lee
(1922-2018)
Lee’s influence on modern pop culture has become an important part of history as he helped shape the world of superhero comic books.
He promoted the skill of writing and taught many people how to write believing that anyone could become a writer.
Which American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist was most famous for her autobiographical work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?
Maya Angelou
(1928-2014)
Angelou defended the rights of women, young people, and the ignored.
Her works blurred the line between literature and activism, and she became a confidante to the civil rights leaders.
Which English physicist wrote the ground-breaking non-fiction books A Brief History of Time and The Grand Design?
Stephen Hawking
(1942 - 2018)
Hawking was a noted physicist, particularly for his research in general relativity. He suffered from a disease related to ALS, which has left him almost entirely paralyzed.
He was the winner of the Fundamental Physics Prize, the most lucrative prize ever established in science.
Which American writer and feminist wrote The Color Purple, which won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was adapted into a film?
Alice Walker
(Born in 1944)
Both a writer and a feminist, Walker’s writing offered insights into African-American culture and often focused on women.
She was also the first African-American woman ever to win a Pulitzer Prize.
Which American horror writer authored The Shining, It, Carrie, The Stand, and Misery?
Stephen King
(Born in 1947)
King’s popular suspense novels and short stories have frequently been adapted into films.
His stories are revered for their realism because the writer draws on his own real life experiences.
Which Indian-born British writer wrote the highly controversial The Satanic Verses?
Salman Rushdie
(Born in 1947)
Winner of the Booker Prize in 1981, Rushdie earned 8 more literary awards for his works like Midnight’s Children and Shame, in which he combined magical realism with historical fiction.
Which American-Canadian speculative fiction writer invented the sci-fi subgenre cyberpunk and achieved international fame with his book Neuromancer?
William Gibson
(Born in 1948)
Gibson’s writing correctly predicted a world that was connected through a global computer network during a time where people thought a personal computer was an extremely strange idea.
His work formed a source of inspiration for many sci-fi writers who see his book Neuromancer as the “Bible” of cyberpunk.
Which British-Canadian journalist is known for his nonfiction writing on psychology and sociology and best-selling booksThe Tipping Point and Outliers?
Malcolm Gladwell
(Born in 1963)
Gladwell is best known for his unique take on popular culture. In his works, he treads the boundary between being an intellectual and a popularizer.
Time magazine named Gladwell one of its 100 most influential people.
Which British writer wrote Harry Potter, the best-selling book series in the history of human literature?
J.K. Rowling
(Born in 1965)
Rowling has been awarded with more than 35 awards for her numerous novels such as the Book of the Year and the Carnegie Medal.
Her Harry Potter novels have since been adapted for theater and cinema, and the series even earned its own theme park.
