Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 340251 times)

Frybabe · « **Reply #80 on:** May 25, 2009, 11:12:44 AM »

The squares in Washington (DC?) that I know of are Lafayette, Washington, Farragut, Franklin, McPherson and Kenyon. There are several Kenyons who are authors. Two that I know of are SciFi/Fantasy writers, both female. And then there is Jane Kenyon who was once Poet Laureate of New Hampshire.

JoanK · « **Reply #81 on:** May 25, 2009, 05:20:55 PM »

No squares in DC: they're all circles. I'm sure Gumtree has it!!!

Frybabe · « **Reply #82 on:** May 25, 2009, 06:16:20 PM »

Actually there are squares in DC. Most of them are green spaces. Lafayette Square is on the other side of the White House from the Washington Monument. Farragut and McPherson are not faraway and include statues of these two Civil War Heroes.

kidsal · « **Reply #83 on:** May 26, 2009, 03:50:40 AM »

HENRY JAMES - WINGS OF A DOVE.

Just finished this book with a local book discussion group. All of us had difficulty reading this book.
Had to watch the movie first (which is very good). Washington Square and Portrait of a Lady are two of his other novels - both made into very good movies.

Frybabe · « **Reply #84 on:** May 26, 2009, 01:18:42 PM »

Good show, Gumtree. Congratulations!

Can't wait for the next quiz to start.

ginny · « **Reply #85 on:** May 26, 2009, 02:06:01 PM »

OH good one, well done Gum AND Kidsal, that's fabulous, good one good one good one!

Now we have Pat H AND Gum on the dias! hahahaa WHEE? I like this very much. I had NO clue at all!

Gumtree · « **Reply #86 on:** May 27, 2009, 01:34:49 AM »

I was already thinking Henry James in relation to diagramming - anyone could fall asleep right in the middle of some of his sentences - but I hadn't quite got there until 'square' and 'Washington' gave the show away. Just a fluke.

I'd be delighted if Pat H is ready to take up the baton - or maybe another player may like to lead off this time.

Gumtree · « **Reply #87 on:** May 29, 2009, 03:55:58 AM »

The silence is quite deafening - and no takers to start the next challenge? I thought maybe Frybabe might like to lead off this time?

I'm a bit over committed right now but if no one else does then I'll start one tomorrow- if I can think of a suitable author -

And Pat H - you're not off the hook forever

Frybabe · « **Reply #88 on:** May 29, 2009, 10:11:22 AM »

I'll have to think on it. I hate to take a turn out of line so to speak. Got company coming soon. Back later.

Gumtree · « **Reply #89 on:** May 29, 2009, 10:26:40 AM »

Frybabe That's great news - hope you decide to lead the charge this time. The Rules? (such as we have) are very flexible and you certainly won't be out of turn as you say.

Now I'm wondering just who you will choose to bamboozle us.

Frybabe · « **Reply #90 on:** May 30, 2009, 12:40:54 AM »

Ok you asked for it.

I was born in India and like many children of my era was sent back to England for schooling.

JudeS · « **Reply #91 on:** May 30, 2009, 01:30:46 AM »

Could tis possibly be Rudyard Kipling?

He has some wonderful books for kids:Just So Stories,The Jungle Book and Kim.
His poetry is also well loved by me since my Father ,who was British, was always reading it to me.

Frybabe · « **Reply #92 on:** May 30, 2009, 07:46:23 AM »

Sorry, not Kipling.

Gumtree · « **Reply #93 on:** May 30, 2009, 12:16:05 PM »

Not Kipling? Then what about Salman Rushdie? He went to Rugby School- possibly on a scholarship and later went to university in England.

Frybabe · « **Reply #94 on:** May 30, 2009, 02:06:49 PM »

Nope! Sorry.

JoanK · « **Reply #95 on:** May 30, 2009, 04:16:41 PM »

Could it be Ghandi?

PatH · « **Reply #96 on:** May 30, 2009, 04:28:42 PM »

How about George Orwell? (Real name Eric Blair)

Frybabe · « **Reply #97 on:** May 30, 2009, 05:34:45 PM »

TAG, you're IT, Pat.

Correct. It is George Orwell. I never knew he was born in India until I went looking for clues last night.

PatH · « **Reply #98 on:** May 30, 2009, 11:17:47 PM »

Many people know me via a different artistic medium, and my author was responsible for a lot of money.

Gumtree · « **Reply #99 on:** May 31, 2009, 02:17:29 AM »

Dash it Pat H - Orwell was to be my next guess....now to get the thinking cap on again...

PatH · « **Reply #100 on:** May 31, 2009, 10:14:11 AM »

Frybabe and Gumtree, I used to be a big Orwell fan, so I thought of him right away, though I would have said Kipling first if Jude hadn't.

Frybabe · « **Reply #101 on:** May 31, 2009, 10:51:04 AM »

While researching Orwell, Pat, I came across the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis of linguistic determinism. Very interesting. One's language shapes one's thoughts and behaviors. Orwells' invented language, Newspeak, was used as an example of this. Isn't this in effect what the Politically Correct people are trying to do with language today?

PatH · « **Reply #102 on:** May 31, 2009, 02:06:33 PM »

Seems like it, Frybabe. Orwell was big on the use of language and the importance of clarity and simplicity. In "Politics and the English Language" he describes how politicians use euphemisms and elaborate language to make what they are saying less clear and more palatable. "If your language is simple and you make a stupid remark, its stupidity is obvious, even to yourself."

A good example of the hypothesis is Hungarian mathematicians. The country has produced an unusual number of good ones, and it's claimed that the peculiar grammatical logic of the language leads to a mathematical way of thinking.

ginny · « **Reply #103 on:** May 31, 2009, 06:26:12 PM »

Good heavens, isn't this interesting? Wow!

I would never have said Orwell, you guys are too much!

I like learning these things, who knew?

Quote

Many people know me via a different artistic medium, and my author was responsible for a lot of money.

Yeowee!

PatH · « **Reply #104 on:** May 31, 2009, 10:24:05 PM »

At age 40, my author made two changes of allegiance, both important to his/her future work. One of my author's more serious works was discussed on the old SeniorNet. I appear in a lighter work.

Gumtree · « **Reply #105 on:** June 01, 2009, 12:19:04 AM »

I'm having trouble with this one Pat -

changes of allegiance? In his work? In his country? In his personal life?
And we've discussed a 'serious' work.

My mind is a complete blank on this one...

Gumtree · « **Reply #106 on:** June 01, 2009, 02:50:31 AM »

Are you Camille Pisarro and is your author Irving Stone?

PatH · « **Reply #107 on:** June 01, 2009, 01:40:13 PM »

The changes of allegiance were of religion and citizenship. We did discuss a major work of this author on SeniorNet, but it was about 5 years ago, and for some reason the discussion isn't in the archives.

It's not Irving Stone.

JoanK · « **Reply #108 on:** June 01, 2009, 06:36:55 PM »

My first thought was Somerset Maughm (sp?) who wrote a novel based on the life of Gaugan (another spelling challenge). But that's not a light work.

An author who was in charge of money was TS Eliot, who worked in a bank. he certainly went through religious changes -- Did he change Nationalities? We read "The Wasteland" sometime in that period. I don't know who the character would be, unless it's joe Dimaggio from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. Or one of the cats from Cats -- the old actor or actress, perhaps.

JudeS · « **Reply #109 on:** June 01, 2009, 07:50:52 PM »

Wow! I also went immediately to Somerset Maughm (which I always thought was spelled Maughn).
I read and read and couldn't fit him into the criteria.

T.S.Eliot did change nationalities. He was an American who became a British Subject. I never knew he worked in a bank so the money criteria threw me off.

Sounds like the right person.

PatH · « **Reply #110 on:** June 01, 2009, 09:18:54 PM »

Bingo! T. S. Eliot was born in St Louis, MO. In 1927, he converted to Anglicanism, and also became a British citizen, both important to his work. For a while he worked for Lloyds's of London. We had a remarkable discussion of "The Waste Land" on SN (thanks, Deems, also Ginny, Barbara, and JoanP).

I bet more people know the musical "Cats" than know where it came from. I think it's already a win, but if anyone wants to go whole hog and name the work and guess the character, go ahead. It's not the old actress Grizabella--I don't think she's in the original. My character is quite a bon vivant.

Gumtree · « **Reply #111 on:** June 02, 2009, 08:35:04 AM »

Wow! Tom Eliot never crossed my mind even though in general terms I know his biographical details ...congrats to JoanK

Would the character be my favourite Gumbie cat Jenny-Any-Dots?

PatH · « **Reply #112 on:** June 02, 2009, 09:17:44 AM »

No, though I like Jenny a lot. My character is a snappy dresser and a gourmet.

JudeS · « **Reply #113 on:** June 02, 2009, 01:39:32 PM »

Is it Rum Tum Tugger?

ginny · « **Reply #114 on:** June 02, 2009, 02:00:05 PM »

T. S. Eliot! Wowza!! I can't believe you guys actually know the cat characters! Unbelievable, wow.

Did you all see Cats?

Good one!

JoanK · « **Reply #115 on:** June 02, 2009, 02:17:15 PM »

I never saw or read Cats. I gave the book of poems to a cat-loving friend, and she was amazed at how well Eliot had captured the personality of cats. Was it the old theater cat played by John Guilgud.

Of course I knew that TS Eliot was American, but I forgot.

PatH · « **Reply #116 on:** June 02, 2009, 04:59:19 PM »

Ginny, it's not at all unbelievable if you have actually read "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". They are very well described, have quite distinct personalities, and, as JoanK points out, really embody the different cat traits.

The musical "Cats" is mostly purely Eliot's poems with music and very good dancing.

PatH · « **Reply #117 on:** June 03, 2009, 10:40:40 AM »

Just to wind things up, the character is Bustopher Jones, the Cat About Town, who strolls down St. James Street in his fastidious black coat and white spats, eats at all the best clubs, and now weighs 25 pounds.

JoanK · « **Reply #118 on:** June 04, 2009, 01:06:11 PM »

OK, here's oine.

Author: I started writing books after a crisis in my life. My character lives on two continents.

Frybabe · « **Reply #119 on:** June 04, 2009, 01:41:03 PM »

Frances Mayes. But her book, Under the Tuscan Sun, was about her not a fictional character.

This may interest our Georgia contingent. Frances Mayes was born in Georgia. Her novel, Swan, is set in Georgia. The main characters are J.J. who lives in Swan, GA and his sister Ginger who is an archaeologist in Tuscany.

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Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 340251 times)