Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 360523 times)

straudetwo · « **Reply #3240 on:** December 07, 2012, 01:42:22 AM »

Thank you for your kind words, Frybabe and JoanK.

More clues

The AUTHOR was inordinately preoccupied with class, a fact that is is reflected in his books. Some considered him a snob. Educated in a private school, he could not afford to attend the college of his choice after his father's death. It made him bitter for the rest of his life.
The literary community was divided as to the value of his work, but Hemingway was an outspoken admirer, John Updike a stauch supporter, Dorothy Parker a friend.

The BOOK
When Harold Bloom included 'our' book into the Western Canon, some detractors wwere unforgiving.
The novel covers only a few days. It has supernatural allusions.

It's late,so more tomorrow.

It's late; moee tomorrow

PatH · « **Reply #3241 on:** December 07, 2012, 06:58:00 AM »

That seems so familiar; I hope it pops into my head soon.

Traude, that must have been scary. I hope things are getting sorted out OK.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3242 on:** December 07, 2012, 08:02:40 AM »

I suspect we all know this. Sigh! Dorothy Parker had a lot of friends including F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I don't think any of his works had supernatural overtones.

ginny · « **Reply #3243 on:** December 07, 2012, 05:52:48 PM »

Traude, I am glad to see you and sorry to hear of your recent setbacks, I am sure that was frightening. I am glad to see you under good medical care and hope that your test comes out splendidly!

It's not Gore Vidal is it?

ANNIE · « **Reply #3244 on:** December 07, 2012, 05:58:14 PM »

Could the title be "Our Town"? Glad to see you again. I thought you had deserted us. Hope you get good report on the PFT. I had to cancel mine until the end of January. I have one every year.

straudetwo · « **Reply #3245 on:** December 08, 2012, 12:25:01 AM »

PatH, Ginny and Anbie,. I am grateful.. It was not my intetion to go into such details but needed to justify my tenporary absence. Thank you again.

Thank you also for participating in this quiz. Your guesses were good ones. The period is that of Fitzgerald and Hemingway and Thirnton Wilder. No, Annie, it's not Our Town,nanad to my knowledge Thornton Wilder was not antisemitic nor a raacist.. I didn't want to make this difficult but chose a literaryfigure who was both adored and reviled because of human failingsi. Ginny, you sensed the underlying meanness of the man. True, Gore Vida, too, could also be mightily argumentative (one recalls the famous fights with Norman Mailer). But he was not antisemitic or a racist, either.

We all know this author, and perhaps saw movies adapted from his novels. He was known to sexual innuendo in his books with obvious relish and relentlessly to a point precariously close to what was the norm at the time. He also he developed a peculiar obsession : categorizing the social ephemera, an activity that threatened to overshadow his literary efforts. Writers and reviewers either hated or adored him with equal intensity. The novels were popular with the public. I hipe his helps. Thank you
Moree tomorrow

Frybabe · « **Reply #3246 on:** December 08, 2012, 08:02:35 AM »

I considered James Joyce, but Ulysses covers only one day. I don't know any of his other works. I doubt that he and Dorothy Parker were friends, but he sure was controversial.

ginny · « **Reply #3247 on:** December 08, 2012, 08:14:06 AM »

I bet that's it, Frybabe!!

Other than the one day stricture, the new clues fit Truman Capote, he was of the time of Hemingway, or at least in that time span, being 20 years after and not a contemporary, and the clues all fit. But In Cold Blood does not, so I'm stymied. His short story about the lunch La Côte Basque 1965 for his unfinished book Answered Prayers would fit, but it's a short story.

ginny · « **Reply #3248 on:** December 08, 2012, 08:23:21 AM »

Ok here's my last (and illegal, being the second guess) guess here. Faulkner was a contemporary, he wasn't a racist but his books have that in them, as well as antisemitism, his Sound and Fury takes place in a day (I think) and who knows what Faulkner said? hahahaa

Deems knew, but I never did.

PatH · « **Reply #3249 on:** December 08, 2012, 12:42:09 PM »

It's annoying that I recently read about an author with some similar biographical details, but I can't think who it was.

straudetwo · « **Reply #3250 on:** December 09, 2012, 08:56:31 PM »

Thank you for your thoughtful guesses. We have no match yet, sorry.
[

More Clues]

The author showed singular writing talent and great promise early. His private prep school named him Class Poet.
His father died not long after,is father died, and the author's hope to attend Yale, the college of his choice (or indeed any college) became an impossible dream. It affected him all his life.
He moved to New York and began writing - articles for magazines, a collection of well received short stories, followed by a number of bestselling novels, plays,, essays, scripts, and was a columnist for conservative newspapers. In World War II he was war correspondent for the Pacific theater. One of his novel won the National Book Award.,
Readers loved his novels and the movie adaptions of some of them. Yet, despite the author's obvious writing skills, including perfectly spot-on dialogue. the acceptance by the writing establishment was not unilateral. The author's personality, and things he has said, could well have been the reason. He was controversial and called "obnoxious". He was known for his irascibility.
Brendan Gill, who worked with the author at The New Yorker, has said he could understand those who described the author Still, possible".
Gill believed the author's obs"ession with status was due to a deeply ingrained sense of inferiority because he had no college education. Still, he yearned for an honorary degree from Yale, but Yale was unwilling "because he had asked for it" (!). After the death of Hemingway, the author said - according to his official biographer - that made him (the autor) the likely candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
e
The time frame is important to consider. The author's career began in the early thirties. Two novels wer adapted for the big screen three decades later.

It has taken me inordinately long to type this because my vision is poor and typos abound. Alas, even a second and third checking of the text is not always successful. My apologies. for that.
More clues tomorrowabout the book.

PatH · « **Reply #3251 on:** December 09, 2012, 09:16:10 PM »

Traude, what do a few typos matter between friends. The important thing is to be here with us. I still don't know the answer, though.

ANNIE · « **Reply #3252 on:** December 09, 2012, 10:52:00 PM »

How about "From Here To Eternity" by James Jones?

straudetwo · « **Reply #3253 on:** December 10, 2012, 12:41:10 AM »

Another very good guess, Annie. But not the right answer, sorry.
James Jones, who wrote From Here to Eternity ] and The Thin Red Line, inter alia, was one of the most accomplished American writers of the WW II generation, born almost twenty years after 'our' author. And, to judge by the record each left, a much better man.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3254 on:** December 10, 2012, 05:16:42 AM »

Just to pop in and say, I am not ignoring this quiz - I just don't have the faintest idea!! Ignormamus (? -ma?)!

Frybabe · « **Reply #3255 on:** December 10, 2012, 08:11:41 AM »

John 0'Hara and his first novel, Appointment at Samara. Pottsville, Pa (home of one of my favorite beers, Yuengling) born the novel is his first and is fictionalized in the book. Pottsville is not too far from me. George and I used to go through that area rather regularly in our travels. I'd forgotten about him, thinking first of John Cheever.

straudetwo · « **Reply #3256 on:** December 10, 2012, 09:01:24 AM »

BINGO !

That's the answer. Congratulations, Frybabe.

Will rejoin you after the PFT.

ANNIE · « **Reply #3257 on:** December 10, 2012, 09:33:14 AM »

I just found the answer this morning. Good work, Frybabe.

I did now know that he wrote "Butterfield 8" and that is was based on a famous murder case and remarkable for its accurate nightclub-underworld argot. I just remember Liz Taylor won the Academy Award for best actress in that movie. And the gossip was that she was only awarded the statue that year because she hadn't won the one the year before.

PatH · « **Reply #3258 on:** December 10, 2012, 09:52:05 AM »

Good job, Frybabe! I've heard of it, but don't think I would ever have come up with it.

I like Yuengling too.

ANNIE · « **Reply #3259 on:** December 10, 2012, 02:22:53 PM »

For me, the Samuel Adams "Winter Lager" which has just made its re-appearance on the market as of Dec 1st. I had a glass of it on Saturday night when we took our four grans to dinner at Max&Erma's.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3260 on:** December 10, 2012, 03:21:54 PM »

I never heard of Max and Erma's so I looked them up. There is a bunch way out Pittsburgh way and one lonely restaurant outside of Philly. Those burgers look tremendous.

ginny · « **Reply #3261 on:** December 10, 2012, 04:44:31 PM »

Oh congratulations, Frybabe! I knew it wasn't Ernie Pyle and was going down the list of the War Correspondents when I saw your post.

That was a GOOD one, Traude! Very fun and clever. Good luck on your test!

ANNIE · « **Reply #3262 on:** December 10, 2012, 10:40:34 PM »

Frybabe,
"Max&Erma's Restaurant" was started right here in Columbus, OH, down in our German Village way back in the 40's. And their burgers are so big and delicious that we (me and Ralph) spllt one. We have quite a few franchises in Ohio but I never thought they had branched out to different states. Hmmm, I must look that up.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3263 on:** December 11, 2012, 07:48:03 AM »

I counted nine states, Annie. What we have in my area for a fancy burger joint is Red Robin.

JoanK · « **Reply #3264 on:** December 11, 2012, 03:35:44 PM »

And in California we have Islands. Started by a surfer, it shows surfing movies on a large screen while you eat your hamburger. And serves milkshake-type drinks made with coconut milk. (but no little tiny umbrellas. I always wanted a drink with a tiny umbrella -- sigh).

Frybabe · « **Reply #3265 on:** December 11, 2012, 11:11:35 PM »

Still thinking! Hopefully, I will have something up for you tomorrow.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3266 on:** December 12, 2012, 08:29:53 AM »

Okay, here goes!

Author: Contemporary writer, began writing at age 30.

Book: A Hugo Award nominee prior to 2000.

Character: Older individual, perhaps near 80.

PatH · « **Reply #3267 on:** December 12, 2012, 11:44:10 AM »

Oh, good, a Hugo nominee, that gives me a fighting chance.

PatH · « **Reply #3268 on:** December 12, 2012, 03:44:03 PM »

If the Hugo nomination had been 2006 I know what it would have been.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3269 on:** December 13, 2012, 11:16:56 AM »

Author: Contemporary writer, began writing in mid-30s.
After graduating college, joined the US Marine Corp.

Book: A Hugo Award nominee prior to 2000.
The story begins with the evacuation of a failed colony.

Character: Older individual, somewhere between 70 and 80.
Refuses to relocate.

PatH · « **Reply #3270 on:** December 13, 2012, 01:43:14 PM »

Oh, dear. I'm pretty sure I've heard of that one recently, but can't think what it is. Don't think I've read it.

JudeS · « **Reply #3271 on:** December 14, 2012, 12:51:22 AM »

Glad to see you all here again.
I won't be much good with a Sci-Fi author unless it's really a very popular, tending toward the main stream, one.

Straude
Hope you find out what is wrong with you. Also hope that it's something small that can be easily overcome.
Sometimes I feel that all the poking and prodding and neverending tests are worse than the problem itself.
Let us know what happens.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3272 on:** December 14, 2012, 04:24:54 PM »

It dawns on me that I haven't posted more clues yet today. SSsoooooo!

Author: Contemporary writer, began writing in mid-30s.
After graduating college, joined the US Marine Corp.
Author's self description: A small-town Texan.

Book: A Hugo Award nominee prior to 2000.
The story begins with the evacuation of a failed colony.
Among other things it explores language barriers between aliens and ways around it.

Character: Older individual, somewhere between 70 and 80.
Refuses to relocate.
After 40 years of colony rules and regimentation, our protagonist enjoys freedom of thought and action.

PatH · « **Reply #3273 on:** December 14, 2012, 08:35:25 PM »

This is driving me nuts. I know that book is in my mind somewhere, but I can't pull it out. I'll have to think harder.

PatH · « **Reply #3274 on:** December 14, 2012, 09:35:53 PM »

AAAHHH!

Remnant Population, Elizabeth Moon, Ofelia

Clever. Marine corps doesn't make you think of a female author.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3275 on:** December 14, 2012, 10:40:59 PM »

WINNER WINNER WINNER

Excellent, PatH. It is a wonderful book. Although the setting is on a strange planet, it is more anthropological in nature that true SciFi. Ofelia, by avoiding being taken off the planet with the others she must learn to think and fend for herself. She discovers, begins to communicate with and to teach and learn from the primitive native population. The colony, a corporate enterprise, was failing because it was set up in a poor location. In addition, the planet had been mistakenly approved for colonization because there were supposedly no higher life forms. The policy was not to colonize any planets with thinking beings so as not to interfere with their natural development. When Ofelia began to interact with the primitives, she was disobeying that policy/law.

Elizabeth Moon has written several series which were militaristic in nature, but with a family corporation/mercenary venue rather than traditional military. She also has written fantasy and has done several space pirate type novels in collaboration with Anne McCaffrey. Her book, The Speed of Dark which is about a high functioning autistic computer programmer, won the 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novel. Her website: http://www.elizabethmoon.com/

straudetwo · « **Reply #3276 on:** December 15, 2012, 09:09:18 PM »

Wonderful !
Just saw that there is a winner, and it was PatH, which I had expected. Hurray !

Let me be the first to offer congratulations. This was yours to win, Pat, praise is well deserved.

PatH · « **Reply #3277 on:** December 15, 2012, 09:33:41 PM »

Thanks, Traude. As always, it's bittersweet, because now I have to think of a new quiz.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3278 on:** December 16, 2012, 08:23:54 AM »

Gosh, well done Pat - I hadn't got an inkling

Rosemary

JoanK · « **Reply #3279 on:** December 16, 2012, 03:29:54 PM »

Good going, PAT!

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Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 360523 times)