Poetry Trivia Questions
In case you missed them, here are the past five Columbia Granger's World of Poetry trivia questions of the day.
November 8
Question:
What English novelist brought C. P. Cavafy to the attention of the English-speaking world?
Answer
E. M. Forster. He met Cavafy in Alexandria during World War I, when Forster was working for the Red Cross.
November 7
Question:
Who were Michelangelo's great love sonnets written to?
Answer
Some were written to Tommaso dei Cavalieri, a young man who remain devoted to Michelangelo until his death; some were written for Vittoria Colonna, a noblewoman and poet he met in in Rome in 1536; she also wrote sonnets to him, and this continued until her death in 1547.
November 6
Question:
What famous English poet was King Henry VIII's tutor when he was the young Prince Henry?
Answer
November 5
Question:
What work was at the center of what has been called the world's first literary quarrel, which took place in 1401 and 1402?
Answer
The Querelle du Roman de la Rose (Quarrel of the Romance of the Rose) was over whether Jean de Meun's allegorical poem "Roman de la Rose" merited the literary attention it received. Written, most likely, at the end of the thirteenth century, Jean de Meun had added nearly 19,000 lines to Guillaume de Lorris's earlier version. The work was accused of being vulgar and unfair in its satirical treatment of women.
November 4
Question:
Who has been identified as Europe's first professional female writer?
Answer
Christine de Pisan developed her reputation as a writer from 1399 to 1430. Born in Venice, she worked for the king of France as an astrologer, physician and alchemist. Aphra Behn is considered one of the first English women to be a professional writer.
