Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 360757 times)

straudetwo · « **Reply #1680 on:** March 21, 2011, 09:50:22 AM »

Roshanarose, sorry, not the Waltons.

straudetwo · « **Reply #1681 on:** March 21, 2011, 10:24:29 PM »

More clues.

To repeat, the story in the book represents the family dynamic, but it is not a happy family.
At the editor's insistence, the author changed the locale of the story to Washington, D.C.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1682 on:** March 22, 2011, 02:28:45 AM »

I hope I haven't read this because I haven't got any ideas at all

Rosemary

Gumtree · « **Reply #1683 on:** March 22, 2011, 11:07:20 AM »

I'm the same Rosemary - I had a few things in mind but the clue about setting it in Washington sent them all out of the window.

roshanarose · « **Reply #1684 on:** March 22, 2011, 11:17:13 AM »

I was going to say "Little House on the Prairie" which I now know is incorrect.

straudetwo - please excuse me if I seem rude, but rosemarykaye and I are not the same person. Although I must say it sounds as though rosemarykaye has a much more interesting life than I.

Gumtree · « **Reply #1685 on:** March 22, 2011, 11:35:36 AM »

Traude: something's nagging at me that this could be an Australian author?

Many of our writers, particularly those of the first half of 20th century left home for England, the Continent and America - some never quite settled anywhere - until they came back home again.

I'll have to think about this one.

pedln · « **Reply #1686 on:** March 22, 2011, 12:15:43 PM »

What do we know? We know the author was born after 1832, when L M Alcott was born.
We know the book is about family dynamics
We know the author doesn't have the following that Hemingway and Twain has
We know that the book was reissued in the 1960's -- that sounds like a big clue
We know the setting -- Washington, DC

We don't know -- gender of author, status quo-- alive or dead, nationality
We don't know when the book was FIRST published

I'm throwing my thoughts out. I doubt it's Tolstoy -- you know that first line -- "Happy families are all alike, but unhappy families . . . . "

pedln · « **Reply #1687 on:** March 22, 2011, 12:26:09 PM »

Is it Sinclair Lewis?

Frybabe · « **Reply #1688 on:** March 22, 2011, 01:59:58 PM »

Democracy by Henry Adams?

I hope this isn't right. I don't have a lot of time to spare right now.

straudetwo · « **Reply #1689 on:** March 22, 2011, 07:46:44 PM »

Thank you for your participation.
I did not mean to be deliberately obscure or keep you on tenterhooks. Besides, we don't generally give away the nationality or gender of an author right away.
Actually I had banked on Gumtree and Roshanarose (and Roshanarose came close by suggesting a female auhor), since Australian writers had been listed here recently following a question by Deems 2.

Yes, indeed, Rosemary, one would have to have either read the book or heard about it - for example, a few months ago in a NYT essay about the underrated literary virtues of this particular author by one of our much talked-about American novelists, Jonathan Franzen.

I'd be happy to provide the answer if you are tired of guessing.

Gumtree · « **Reply #1690 on:** March 22, 2011, 11:25:11 PM »

It's Christina Stead - The Man Who Loved Children.

I woke this morning with it clear in my mind. I hadn't quite got there when I went to bed - don't think we've had an Australian author before.

Gumtree · « **Reply #1691 on:** March 22, 2011, 11:56:13 PM »

I just checked the last listing of our titles - No Aussies - so Stead is a first!

It's actually interesting to read down the list - amazing that almost all are classics of one kind or another.

straudetwo · « **Reply #1692 on:** March 23, 2011, 07:42:44 PM »

Gumtree, wonderful ! , that's the answer. Christina Stead, The Man Who Loved Children.
As you said, we have not had an Australian writer as subject of a quiz, and so this is an occasion to be celebrated. But since I've been told to "rest", the celebration may e slightyl delayed.

Gumtree · « **Reply #1693 on:** March 23, 2011, 10:42:15 PM »

Traude I am sorry you're not quite up to par at present. Do follow your doctor's orders and "rest" for as long as it takes.

Christina Stead has been required reading in some curricula though I'm not sure if she still is. I doubt that her work has ever been the flavour of the month but she is always 'there'

She went overseas in the 1930s when she was quite young - lived in England, France, Spain, America - finally coming home around 1970.

The Man Who Loved Children is now regarded as her masterpiece and is largely autobiographical - 'The Man' is based on her eccentric father.
I think her most popular and accessible novel would be For Love Alone which again is largely autobiographical.

How great to showcase an Aussie - thanks Traude!

Gumtree · « **Reply #1694 on:** March 23, 2011, 10:44:42 PM »

I'm a very reluctant 'winner' at the moment.

I'll have to think of a challenge for you - will probably post later today or tomorrow.

roshanarose · « **Reply #1695 on:** March 24, 2011, 12:05:12 AM »

Gumtree - Well said. Congratulations. I had no idea. Could be because I have not read the book, although it was on my reading list for Australian Lit at Uni.

Straude2 - Thanks for thinking of us. Take care and rest up. We are thinking of you.

Did a bit of reading about Christina Stead. It said she was married to William Blake, was it THAT William Blake? Ooops. Checked again - just a couple of centuries out

Gumtree · « **Reply #1696 on:** March 24, 2011, 12:07:22 PM »

Roshanarose: Stead's William Blake was actually born Wilhelm Blech sp?and changed thespelling of his name when they moved to America - do't quote me I'm relying on my memory. - not always a good thing these days.

Still thinking about a suitable subject for our next quiz. Will put something up tomorrow.

JoanK · « **Reply #1697 on:** March 24, 2011, 03:26:19 PM »

I'd change my name too if I was named blech (blech!). Great game, traude.

straudetwo · « **Reply #1698 on:** March 24, 2011, 10:20:56 PM »

Thank you for staying with me on this last quiz. Two reasons made me choose The Man Who Loved Children - surely one of the most abominable fathers in literature - : (1) Christina Stead's name was on the list of Australian writers posted here recently, and (2) I did so out of a sense of frustration that the importance of this particular book was not recognized even after the American edition was reissued. So I was grateful and very impressed by Jonathan Franzen's essay carried by the NYT in June of 2010 as a tribute to Christina Stead and in remembrance of the publication of the book seventy (70) years earlier.

Stead's biographer, Hazel Rowley, reports that publishers Simon & Schuster didn't think American readers would care about Australians (!!), so Stead made the setting Washington, D.C. It was a blow that Mary McCarthy (The Group) wrote an especially caustic piece in The New Republic, finding fault with the novel's anachronisms and imperfect grasp of American life.

I read the book in 1967 in a marvelous book group in Arlington, Virginia, and it made me literally gasp for air. Those were the heady days of women's liberation and nothing would have been more fitting and logical than holding up this book alongside Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, and so many others, including Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch.

Stead finished her education in Australia, taught for a few years, then moved abroad with American Marxist writer and business man William Blake, born Wilhelm Blech, whom she married after he had obtained a divorce. After his death she returned to Australia and died there.

JoanK, I agree, Blech (= cheap metal) is not an auspicious name. Untold numbers of immigrants changed their names to carry in their new life, often shorter and more to their liking. And that's as it should be.

Gumtree · « **Reply #1699 on:** March 25, 2011, 04:18:27 AM »

Traude Christina Stead doesn't get her full due even here in her country of birth even though she is regarded as one of our first rate novelists -so much so that she is sometimes bracketed with Patrick White.

I searched out Jonathan Franzen's review and was impressed with his grasp on what Stead had tried to do. As you say, his essay was a tribute to the writer though I wonder whether it would have gained her many new readers. How amazing for you to read and discuss the book in 1967 when the air was fairly buzzing with the women's liberation movements - I read it maybe 10 years later and well recall the impact it had.

I don't possess a copy of The Man Who Loved Children but the quiz motivated me to take down another Stead novel, For Love Alone and after browsing for a little, I settled in to begin reading it. Stead's father is depicted there as well and is just the same, bold as brass and so loquacious it would drive one to ... well!

It may be that I'll undertake a rereading of Stead's output. I like revisiting writers from my past reading life.

Thanks for the quiz - especially for choosing Stead as the subject.

Gumtree · « **Reply #1700 on:** March 25, 2011, 12:25:07 PM »

New Quiz

This is an easy one:

Author: Has succeeded in more than one field.

Book: This book is an acclaimed biography.

Character: Was one of seven sons born to an impoverished family.

Extra clue: The author is not Australian - but there is an Australian connection.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1701 on:** March 25, 2011, 01:14:38 PM »

Not for me it isn't! (Easy that is...)

Rosemary

PatH · « **Reply #1702 on:** March 25, 2011, 02:31:54 PM »

They're not supposed to be easy on the first set of clues.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1703 on:** March 25, 2011, 03:19:12 PM »

i know,it's just that Gum said it was easy! Maybe the next set will reveal all.....or maybe (in my case) not...

R

Gumtree · « **Reply #1704 on:** March 26, 2011, 11:01:35 AM »

Gosh Rosemary: I can't give it all away so soon - not enough fun in that!

Author: Has succeeded in more than one field.
   This is my first book

Book: This book is an acclaimed biography.
   won several awards and has been translated into several languages

Character: Was one of seven sons born to an impoverished family.
   Left home and family at a young age to undertake studies and learn new skills

Extra clue: The author is not Australian - but there is an Australian connection.
   This book hit the best seller charts in Australia and elsewhere.

straudetwo · « **Reply #1705 on:** March 27, 2011, 01:38:20 PM »

It seems that it may be best to focus on the book's character, one of seven siblings. Hmm.

There's no spark in the darkness yet but I have aimed at ghosts like V.S.Naipul, Paul Theroux, his (unauthorized) biographer (Sir Vidia), and Alan Paton (Cry The Beloved Country). Alas, none looks like "it".

New clues may lead us closer to a solution.

Gumtree · « **Reply #1706 on:** March 29, 2011, 01:02:22 PM »

Traude - No, none of those you mentioned.

Here are some new clues...

Author: Has succeeded in more than one field.
   This is my first book.
   Family values are integral to my life.

Book: This book is an acclaimed biography.
   won several awards and has been translated into several languages.
   A successful film was made based on the book.

Character: Was one of seven sons born to an impoverished family.
   Left home and family at a young age to undertake studies and learn new skills.
   Worked hard and was selected as a foreign exchange student.

Extra clues: The author is not Australian - but there is an Australian connection.
   This book hit the best seller charts in Australia and elsewhere.
   The producer, director and screenwriter for the film were all Australian.

roshanarose · « **Reply #1707 on:** March 29, 2011, 11:50:34 PM »

Somehow I think that the character may be Asian.

Turning my brain inside out - or may be a Kiwi connection?

straudetwo · « **Reply #1708 on:** March 30, 2011, 10:45:37 AM »

Was the subject of the biography perhaps an outstanding sportsman ?

Gumtree · « **Reply #1709 on:** March 30, 2011, 11:03:26 AM »

Roshanarose - you're on the right track - keep thinking Asian.

Traude not an outstanding sportsman but a discipline which requires just as much physical effort, training and stamina.

You've almost got it between you.

PatH · « **Reply #1710 on:** March 30, 2011, 12:05:31 PM »

This is tantalizing--I feel like I must know it, but I doubt I'm as close as Traude and Roshanarose.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1711 on:** March 30, 2011, 06:13:01 PM »

I'll be darn if I can think of the name of the guy, but I remember running across an author whose passion was deep sea fishing all over the world. He wrote several fishing books, one of which was recently reissued at a humongous limited edition price. In spite of that he was not well known for his fishing books. Still, he wasn't Asian so it probably isn't who you want. He did fish around Australia a lot, though.

Addendum: Zane Grey. The reissued edition was Tales of the Gladiator which was the name of his boat.

PatH · « **Reply #1712 on:** March 30, 2011, 08:04:05 PM »

Aaaaarrrrgggghhh.

roshanarose · « **Reply #1713 on:** March 31, 2011, 12:31:19 AM »

I think I've got it. Mao's Last Dancer. I have seen the film but not read the book so I don't know the author.

roshanarose · « **Reply #1714 on:** March 31, 2011, 12:33:24 AM »

Frybabe - Another famous American (actor) used to fish for marlin in Cairns. See if you can guess who?

Sorry Gum. Not stealing your thunder.

pedln · « **Reply #1715 on:** March 31, 2011, 11:42:07 PM »

Well done, roshanarose Good thinking. I've got the film in my N queue and would also like to read the book.

Quote

Li fell in love and married an American girl in 1981 which resulted in him being held against his will for twenty-one hours by the Chinese Consulate in Houston. It became a huge international incident during which the FBI surrounded the Consulate and sealed the airport. The American government, led by George Bush, Sr., managed to negotiate with the Chinese government to eventually secure his release

.

Good for our guys. Can you believe?

Gumtree · « **Reply #1716 on:** April 01, 2011, 12:46:05 AM »

Sorry I've not been in - am a bit 'under the weather' so to speak...

Congratulations to our WINNER - Roshanarose

It is Mao's Last Dancer the character is Li Cunxin who also wrote the book. I was being a little devious there saying it was a biography instead of autobiography - happened by accident but I decided to leave it.

Pedln - thanks for this bit - the substance of which would have been in the next set of clues:

Quote

Li fell in love and married an American girl in 1981 which resulted in him being held against his will for twenty-one hours by the Chinese Consulate in Houston. It became a huge international incident during which the FBI surrounded the Consulate and sealed the airport. The American government, led by George Bush, Sr., managed to negotiate with the Chinese government to eventually secure his release

The marriage with the American girl was very short-lived.

Li Cunxin was selected to receive training in ballet as part of Madame Mao's Cultural Programme and at age 11 was taken from his family to undertake a seven year training programe at Beijing Dance Academy.
He went on to graduate as one of China's best dancers and became one of the first two cultural exchange students under Mao's regime allowed to go to the US to study.

However, after defecting to the US he was locked up in the Chinese consulate in Houston, causing a political stand-off between Washington and Beijing before he was released as a free man.

Li went on to dance with the Houston Ballet for 16 years and performed around the world, meeting and falling in love in London with Australian born ballerina Mary McKendry. They married in 1987 and moved to Melbourne in 1995 where Li embraced the Australian life.

At 34, he studied with the view of becoming a stockbroker while juggling his career as a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet.

As a father, he has helped his daughter Sophie overcome difficulties after she was diagnosed with profound hearing loss aged just 18 months.
Sophie, now 20, was one of the first Australian children to receive bilateral cochlear implants and went on to complete her Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) in 2008, finishing in the top 5 per cent of the state.

Li Cunxin was named as Father of the Year 2008 and says he was humbled to have received the award and it was even more poignant following the death of his own father earlier that year.

Li now works with a major stockbroking firm and is in high demand as a motivational speaker. He has worked hard for folk with hearing impairment. He and his wife have three children.

It is an interesting biography and made an excellent film with some superb ballet scenes.

Lots of Australian connections there so I wasn't at all surprised that Roshanarose was the one who won the prize.

Over to you Roshanarose!

roshanarose · « **Reply #1717 on:** April 01, 2011, 08:55:52 AM »

Give me a couple of days, please. I like to assemble all my clues before I start. I can't help it and put it down to the importance of preparedness while teaching

I just adore ballet movies and books, but my quiz will be about something entirely different. Gird your loins!

Gumtree · « **Reply #1718 on:** April 01, 2011, 11:20:57 AM »

Roshanarose: that American big game fishing out of Queensland - wasn't that Lee Marvin?

I'm girding - I'm girding !

straudetwo · « **Reply #1719 on:** April 01, 2011, 08:48:15 PM »

Gumtree, this was an excellent quiz about a remarkable human being at whose strengths and talents we can only marvel. The nut was a bit hard to crack but Roshanarose did so effortlessly. Congratulations are well deserved.
We never cease to learn, and that's as it should be.
Thank you.

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Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 360757 times)