Poetry Trivia Questions
In case you missed them, here are the past five Columbia Granger's World of Poetry trivia questions of the day. .
September 13
Question:
For whom is a humorous Japanese poetic form resembling haiku named?
Answer
The form senryu is named after Senry? Karai and follows the 5-7-5 pattern of haiku. In contrast to haiku, which are generally serious and oriented toward nature, senryu are humorous and focus on human foibles. There are additional differences between the haiku and senryu forms so subtle that they sometimes do not survive translation.
September 12
Question:
What Japanese poet first wrote haiku?
Answer
Prior to Masaoka Shiki, the poetic form established by Matsuo Bashowas known as hokku. Shiki is attributed with modernizing and refining the form, and coining the term "haiku."
September 11
Question:
Who coined the phrase "Beat Generation", and to what does the word "beat" refer?
Answer
Jack Kerouac is attributed with using the phrase in 1948. The meaning of "beat," which started as "defeated," was expanded by him to refer both to musical rhythms (e.g. on the beat, upbeat) and spiritual matters (i.e. beatific).
September 10
Question:
What was the first poem published by the first American writer to receive the Nobel Prize in literature?
Answer
Sinclair Lewis's first publication was probably the poem "Launcelot," which appeared in his college journal in 1904.
September 9
Question:
Who was the first English language poet to receive the Nobel Prize in literature?
Answer
Rudyard Kipling received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907.
