Books quiz of 2010
How much attention were you paying to literary developments this year? Anwer these questions and find out if you’re a chump or a champion
Reanimated? Lawrence Durrell, Stieg Larsson, Mervyn Peak and Douglas Adams (See question two). Photograph: Getty/PA/Hulton/David Sillitoe
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1.Celebrated literary recluse JD Salinger passed away in January 2010, at what age?
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2.To which famous sequence of novels was it announced in February that a further book would be added, compiled by the author’s widow from notes left by her husband?
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3.To which classical figure did poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy compare footballer David Beckham, in a poem written in March following the heel injury that took him out of the running (literally) for the World Cup?
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4.Which author won the Arthur C Clarke award for science fiction an unprecedented third time in April?
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5.As announced in May, which thriller writer has been commissioned by the Fleming Estate to write the next new Bond novel, following Sebastian Faulks’s Devil May Care?
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6.Previously unknown work by each of these authors – bar one – appeared this year. Which is the fake?
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7.Which high-profile crime author was aboard the Gaza flotilla stormed by Israeli troops in May?
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8.What is the theme of controversial Australian novel The Slap, one of this year’s popular hits, by writer Christos Tsiolkas?
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9.Which author was accused this summer of “waging war on Christianity” by a Jesuit priest?
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10.Which author attacked the New York Times in August for favouring “white male literary darlings” in its books coverage, particularly in relation to Jonathan Franzen’s novel Freedom?
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11.What was the title originally planned for Tony Blair’s memoir, A Journey, published in September?
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12.What new book did President Obama publish this year?
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13.What personal accessory was purloined from literary star Jonathan Franzen at the London launch party for his novel Freedom in October?
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14.In October, Howard Jacobson’s The Finkler Question won the Man Booker prize. How much money did he win?
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15.Why did JK Rowling text Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe on the film release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this autumn?
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16.After weeks of speculation about the contenders, who was it who eventually won this year’s Nobel prize for literature in October?
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17.Which book, by academic Alexandra Harris, won the Guardian first book award in November?
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18.Which book is 2010’s Christmas number one bestseller in the UK?