This week's quiz is a bit of a softball -- we expect to see a correct answer before teatime. Chalk it up to fatigue.
This author's first book won a Pulitzer Prize, and became the only Pulitzer winner to inspire a massive hit musical on Broadway. The author went on to become one of the small group of people with six or more New York Times number-one bestsellers in their career.
Name the author.
First correct answer to posted to comments wins a large, red squishy six-sided die.
Note: if you're new, the only rule is that looking it up is not cricket. Multiple guesses are acceptable.
Hey, I'm first, I'm first!
But I don't have a good guess.
Umm, t.s. elliot?
Posted by: teenidol on May 10, 2002 10:37 AMThe book and musical were "South Pacific"... by whatshisface.
James mental-block
Posted by: boxjam on May 10, 2002 10:51 AMJust to clarify on the Eliot issue -- I should have said "only Pulitzer fiction winner"; damn dancing cats.
But Eliot didn't have the bestsellers of our answer author, anyway.
Posted by: BT on May 10, 2002 11:31 AME. L. Doctorow?
Posted by: Jeff on May 10, 2002 01:06 PMummm.... Tony Kuchner?
Posted by: bootsy on May 10, 2002 01:26 PMMichener!
I swear I didn't cheat! His name finally came to me...
Posted by: boxjam on May 10, 2002 01:38 PMMichener it is...Tales of the South Pacific was, incidentally, the first Pulitzer winner under the designation "fiction" as opposed to "novel." He later said "I have only one piece of advice for the beginning writer: Be sure your first novel is read by Rodgers and Hammerstein."
Congratulations to Boxjam, now a two-time Quiz champ. Bow ye down before his swollen brain.
Posted by: BT on May 10, 2002 01:56 PMi know a girl who is in ut's graduate writing program (which was endowed liberally by mr. michener). she takes one class per semester (a writing workshop, obviously)and is not allowed to have a job. the only requirement is that she write. and write. and write.
in order to ensure that she's able to do so without distraction (the financial constraints of not being permitted to work would seem overwhelming, eh?), she is paid a very handsome stipend.
so michener may be a talentless hack, but he did a good thing; if that situation isn't heaven for a struggling young writer (and this girl was a poet, for christ's sakes. she'll probably never have this standard of living again!), i don't know what is.
Posted by: mlang on May 10, 2002 03:13 PMwill that do it?
Posted by: mlang on May 10, 2002 03:14 PMi apologize again for my boo-boo.
Posted by: mlang on May 10, 2002 03:17 PMI have found that italic tags are the single most likely tags to be left open. I do it constantly.
Posted by: BT on May 10, 2002 03:30 PM