Question 1

The video game Bioshock is considered by many to be a modern literary masterpiece. It drew inspiration from (and parodied) one author and her philosophy in particular. The antagonist in the video game is a Belarusian Jew from the Soviet Union who moved to America - much like the author. The antagonist would much rather destroy everything he has created than let it fall into public hands - a hat-tip to one of the author’s novels.

The below image (from Bioshock) more than anything captures the author’s philosophy and atheism.     

Identify the author. 

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Answer: 

Ayn Rand

The antagonist in Bioshock is named Andrew Ryan - a partial anagram of Ayn Rand’s name. There are references to characters from Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead throughout the game and jokes about Objectivism’s failure abound.

Question 2

"In the autumn of 1970 I had a job singing in the school system, playing my guitar in classrooms. I was sitting on the veranda one morning, reading a biography of [Blank 1], and suddenly I knew I had to write a song arguing that he wasn't crazy. He had an illness and so did his brother Theo. This makes it different, in my mind, to the garden variety of 'crazy' – because he was rejected by a woman [as was commonly thought]. So I sat down with a print of [Blank 2] and wrote the lyrics out on a paper bag."

Most people think the song is named after [Blank 2] - which is used as a refrain throughout the song - but it is actually just called by the first name of [Blank 1]. Identify the song. 

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Answer: 

Vincent by Don McLean

[Blank 1] is Van Gogh and [Blank 2] is Starry Night

Question 3

This writer’s thematically-related short stories were published as a collection tilted: The Atrocity Exhibition. This collection and numerous other short stories have been a notable influence, especially on post-punk and industrial bands. Exodus, Joy Division, Madonna and others have all created songs based on this writer’s work.

Considered a master of new age science fiction, this writer’s other works have been adapted into numerous films including a 1987 classic that launched a then 10-year-old Christian Bale. Identify this writer who was in the news in early May 2024 because of the way many celebrities decided to dress up and get their pictures taken at an annual event.

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Answer: 

JG Ballard

The 2024 Met Gala had the theme: The Garden of Time: a shorty story by Ballard

Christian Bale starred in Empire of the Sun - a semi-autobiographical book based on Ballard’s early life in Shanghai during WW II

Question 4

Edwin A Abbott (the middle A also stands for Abbott) is best known for writing the novella: Flatland. The book is set in a two-dimensional world and the protagonist is a square named A Square. While it is a satirical commentary on the hierarchy prevalent in Victorian culture - it is a rare examination of dimensions in fiction (A Square visits Lineland - a one-dimensional world - and is visited by a sphere from a three-dimensional world in the novella). The novella was originally published in 1884 and has been in print ever since. 

Since the book is available in public domain - multiple publishers have brought out their own editions of Flatland with newer covers. 

The works of one artist - who was heavily inspired by mathematics - has been directly used or has provided inspiration for many of these later covers of Flatland. Identify the artist. 

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Answer: 

MC Escher