Wednesday, August 26, 2009

[NOT SO] Famous Firsts

Some novelists hit the jackpot with their first publication.
For instance, J.K. Rowling goes off the proverbial charts with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997.
Other examples could be William Golding's Lord of the Flies (1954), Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye (1970), and F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise (1920).
But how many of these overlooked or lesser-known first published novels can you pair with their authors?

Really give it a fair try, as in, WITHOUT CHEATING.
And then post in the comments section how many you got correct.

1) Crome Yellow (1921)
2) Poor Folk (1846)
3) Player Piano (1952)
4) The Voyage Out (1915)
5) Grimus (1975)
6) Jonah's Vine Gourd (1934)
7) The Town and the City (1950)
8) Cup of Gold (1929)
The answers can be found HERE.
*********

8 comments:

Jeane said...

I didn't know a single one. Are any of them good reads? there must be a reason they've fallen into relative obscurity.

Cipriano said...

Jeane, you are making me feel all.... all Booksmart!
I got five out of the eight when I myself did this quiz.

Shark said...

I only knew three, but they were by three of my favorite authors; and when I looked at the answers I sighed and said, "of course..."

Anonymous said...

Yikes....I only got 3. I am a serious ignoramous!!! Time to hit the books again!
C.

Beth said...

I only knew two:

3. Player Piano – Kurt Vonnegut
4. The Voyage Out – Virginia Woolf

How do you come up with these things? Are you a literary savant?

Anonymous said...

Jeane, I loved Player Piano...the only one I knew. But I will read anything by Vonnegut - my favorite being Cat's Cradle. I wonder how many unpublished or obscure novels are sitting around unread...for whatever reason.
I feel angst-ridden just to contemplate it.

Cipriano said...

The only reason that I got five out of eight of these when I did it is because I BASICALLY LIVE IN A BOOKSTORE!

Arukiyomi said...

Three for me too, two of which I've read. Crome Yellow was a fantastic read. The VOyage Out didn't do much for me, particularly compared to some of her more sublime later writing.

I knew, but have yet to read, Grimus. I find I have to pace myself with Rushdie... each book is like a feast I need to recover from.