The AnswerBank Articles

V.S. Naipaul: Nobel Laureate 2001

The Nobel committee announced on 11 October that the 2001 Prize for Literature was to be awarded to the British writer V.S. Naipaul, 'for having united perceptive narrative and incorruptible scrutiny00:00 Mon 15th Oct 2001

Adolf Hitler: Artist

Q. Hitler an artist A. Indeed. Art was the future F hrer's first great love, and throughout his early life he had grandiose dreams of making his living as an artist. In fact he stated his profession00:00 Mon 08th Oct 2001

Scratch-and-sniff: The Royal Mail's new set of Nobel stamps

Q. Scratch-and-sniff A. No kidding. Britain's first scratch-and-sniff stamp was issued on Tuesday 2 October 2001 as part of a collection issued to celebrate 100 years of Nobel Prizes. It is one of a00:00 Mon 08th Oct 2001

In the shadow of Alice: Lewis Carroll

Q. What's the traditional reading of the relationship between Lewis Carroll and Alice A. It has long been believed that the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson - better known as Lewis Carroll, author00:00 Mon 08th Oct 2001

National Poetry Day 2001

Q. What is it A. It's a day to celebrate Britain's very rich poetry tradition and to try to raise awareness of the medium, particularly among younger people, as not just a fossilised art form but as00:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001

How to get your papers bound as a book

Following on from lynner's question at DisplayAnswers.go question_id=4238&category_id=2&index=6 here's a guide to having your letters or anything else printed and bound. The following presumes that00:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001

The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono

Q. Who's the man who planted trees A. Elz ard Bouffier, a shepherd in Provence. For decades he planted trees in what had been a wasteland in order to regenerate the landscape. Q. So that's it He00:00 Mon 01st Oct 2001

Back in the news - the Lord of the Rings

Q. Why is The Lord of the Rings back in the headlines A. It may have escaped your notice that a major three-part version of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic epic The Lord of the Rings is heading for our00:00 Mon 24th Sep 2001

10 years of the Big Issue

Q. When did you last buy a copy of The Big Issue A. If you live in a British town of any size you'll most likely have come across a Big Issue vendor at some point. You may even have bought a copy.00:00 Mon 24th Sep 2001

Found objects

Q. What, in art terminology, are 'found objects' A. More properly called objets trouv s, this is the term applied to existing objects - manufactured or of natural origin - used in, or as, works of00:00 Mon 17th Sep 2001

Anthony d'Offay announces his retirement

Q. Who A. D'Offay's a big wheel in the world of London's private art galleries. Based around New Bond Street and Cork Street in Mayfair, these galleries - including the Waddington Galleries and the00:00 Mon 17th Sep 2001

Mervyn Peake

Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Steerpike in the BBC production of Gormenghast Q. Did Mervyn Peake illustrate Alice in Wonderland A. In 1945 the Continental Book Company of Stockholm, Sweden, wanted to00:00 Mon 10th Sep 2001

Troubled bridge over water: The London Millennium Bridge

Q. Will the wobbly Millennium Bridge ever reopen A. According to the Press Office of Ove Arup, the contractor for the project, the bridge will reopen 'by the end of the year [2001]'. You heard it00:00 Mon 10th Sep 2001

What's your story : Autobiography and memoirs

Q. What's the difference between autobiography and memoirs A. An autobiography is a biography written by its subject, often to explain as well as to inform. For example, John Henry Newman's Apologia00:00 Mon 10th Sep 2001

The Decameron

Q. What is The Decameron A. The Decameron is a collection of tales from many sources collated by the Florentine Giovanni Boccaccio. Thought to have been written down over many years, they were put00:00 Mon 03rd Sep 2001

Chick Lit

Q. What is Chick Lit A. Chick Lit, or Chick Fic, is often described as 'post-feminist fiction' - that is, a post-feminist take on the mass-appeal romance novel. This could be defined as a literary00:00 Mon 03rd Sep 2001

Notting Hill

Q. When was the first Notting Hill Carnival A. The Notting Hill Carnival has been taking place in west London during the August Bank Holiday since 1964. Q. How did it start A. In the 1950s,00:00 Mon 03rd Sep 2001

Antique walking sticks

Q. Are walking sticks really collectable A. If they're old or interesting enough, yes. Although no longer fashionable - and there's a fair chance of getting at least a sideways glance from a police00:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001

The Edinburgh Festival

The Edinburgh Festival is an umbrella title encompassing seven separate festivals: the International, Fringe, Film, Jazz, Book and Television Festivals, and the Military Tattoo. The 2002 Edinburgh00:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001

What goes on at the British Library

Q. What is the British Library A. The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, equivalent to the Archives Nationales in France or the Library of Congress in the USA. Q.00:00 Mon 27th Aug 2001