To celebrate On The Edge of Uncertainty, featuring 1920s literary London, which was such a generation-defining, boundary-challenging time I have devised a series of short quizzes. Below are books published in the 1920s. In each case, name the author and book title. Send me an email at info@evbancroft.com to be entered into a prize draw. For each short quiz a winner will be chosen at random to receive an ebook of On the Edge of Uncertainty.
Answers and winners will be published after the release of the book.
Quiz 1
A) First published in 1920 by an English writer. It tells the story of sisters Gudrun and Ursula Brangwen and their lovers, covering the time before the Great War and concluding in the Alps. It was controversial because of the sexual content.
B) First published in 1920 in the USA and in England in 1921. It was the first detective novel by this writer, who changed the whole genre of crime novels, and was later dubbed the Queen of Crime. This book saw the introduction of one of the most famous detectives in crime.
Quiz 2
A) First published in 1922, this novel tells the story of Leopold Bloom and is set during one day in Dublin. This book experimented in prose, in particular, stream of consciousness and was banned in the UK until 1936 under obscenity laws.
B) First published in the USA in 1925. It is a tragedy set in Long Island. It’s main themes are the American Dream and the difference between money and wealth. The first run sold less than 10,000 copies but has since been described as one of the great American novels.
Quiz 3
A) First published in 1926, although the character first appeared in 1924. Based on his son’s toy, the book was phenomenally successful, and was even translated into Latin in 1958.
B) Published in 1927 by an English writer. It is based around the Ramsays and their visits to the Isle of Skye. It is the author’s most autobiographical novel. Most of it is written in internal thoughts and observations.
Quiz 4
A) Published in 1924, this book studies the impact of power and prejudice in one of the British colonies. It was controversial at the time because of its nuanced study of racism, sexism and imperialism.
B) Published in 1920, this USA book covers the conflict between passion and duty in the golden age. It won the Pulitzer prize the following year.
Quiz 5
A) This novel was published in 1928 but was embroiled in a court case in England because of its lesbian content. It wasn’t published again in England until 1949.
B) This 1925 novel was published posthumously. It was a terrifying tale of confusion as a man was arrested and forced to defend himself against a charge about which he was given no information.
EV Bancroft 