The AnswerBank Articles

Did Homer actually exist

Q. Well, did he A. The historical facts of Homer's life remain unknown and will most likely never be known. Consequently many scholars today doubt the existence of Homer the man. However, this was00:00 Sun 06th Jan 2002

The Gnostic Gospels

Q. What are they A. The so-called Gnostic Gospels are writings from the early Christian era by Christians who also espoused the theological teachings of Gnosticism. Denounced as heretical, they are00:00 Sun 06th Jan 2002

Kingsley vs Martin: The Amises

Q. So, the father A. Born:16 April 1922, London Educated: City of London School and St John's College, Oxford Wartime service: Royal Corps of Signals Jobs: Lecturer in English, University College of00:00 Sat 05th Jan 2002

C.S. Lewis and Narnia

Q. Now that Tolkein's Lord of the Rings has finally been given the big-budget film treatment, isn't it time that C.S. Lewis's Narnia books went the same way A. Technology has finally caught up with00:00 Sat 29th Dec 2001

The different elements which go into making up a book

To the average reader a book is simply sheets of paper glued into a cover. However, each element which goes into making up a book has its own name - and this includes such specifics as the various00:00 Thu 27th Dec 2001

Sir Matthew Smith, CBE (1879-1959)

Q. Who was Matthew Smith A. Matthew Smith was an influential - though today somewhat neglected - British 20th-century painter. Q. What distinguishes his work A. His principal themes and subjects00:00 Wed 26th Dec 2001

Becoming a book editor

Q. 'How do I go about becoming a book editor ' asks dogfrank. A. Publishing has to be one of the most popular professions around, and particularly among that large group of people who wander away00:00 Sun 23rd Dec 2001

The Sails of the South

Q. What are they A. Officially named the Trisail, the Sails of the South - a nick-name which has stuck - are a huge sculpture shaped, as the name might suggest, like three sails. Q. Where are00:00 Sat 22nd Dec 2001

Avida Dollars: Salvador Dali, novelist

Q. Avida Dollars A. This was head honcho Surrealist Andr Breton's anagram of the name of his former friend Salvador Dal , and a less than complimentary swipe at the latter's well-documented love of00:00 Sat 22nd Dec 2001

Turner Prize 2001 update

Artist Jacqueline Crofton threw eggs at Martin Creed's Turner Prize-winning installation, claiming that the judges were only 'interested in is manufacturers of gimmicks like Creed'. She was taken00:00 Fri 14th Dec 2001

Just/Utz Chatwin update

Rudolph Just's collection, which inspired Bruce Chatwin to write his novel Utz, fetched 1.5 million at auction on 11 December, somewhat more than 1.2 million anticipated. See the article on00:00 Fri 14th Dec 2001

Ian Brady update

Ashworth Mental Hospital dropped its attempt to block Ian Brady's book The Gates of Janus and it's now readily available in the UK. However, the Victims of Crime Trust continues to urge bookshops not00:00 Fri 14th Dec 2001

The City's secret treasure: Guildhall Art Gallery

Q. What is the Guildhall Art Gallery A. The Guildhall Art Gallery is the public gallery of the art collection of the Corporation of London, the local authority of the City of London. The building00:00 Fri 14th Dec 2001

Will the last one out please turn the lights on and off : The Turner Prize

As ever the Turner Prize 2001 has shaken up the pundits as no other art event can. It can't have escaped your notice that this year's winner of the 20,000 prize is Martin Creed, for his installation00:00 Thu 13th Dec 2001

Walter Sickert

There's been a great deal of media attention over the last week or so (early December 2001) about crime writer Patricia Cornwell's attempts to prove that the British artist Walter Sickert was the00:00 Thu 13th Dec 2001

Wendy Perriam: Bad Sex is OK

Being nominated two years running for the Bad Sex in Fiction Award - the first writer in the 8-year history of the award to be so honoured - may seem a dubious distinction for a serious author, but00:00 Fri 07th Dec 2001

James Joyce's Ulysses

Q. Why is Ulysses in the dock again A. Macmillan, the publishers of what has been described as a 'reader friendly' edition of James Joyce's Ulysses, have been taken to court by the trustees of00:00 Thu 06th Dec 2001

Who lived where : Blue Plaques

Q. What are Blue Plaques A. Commemorative plaques erected on buildings - or the sites of buildings - associated with famous or infamous people. Q. When did it all start A. The very first was00:00 Tue 04th Dec 2001

Rudolph Just: Chatwin's Utz

The art collection featured in Bruce Chatwin's 1989 novel Utz is to go under the hammer. Q. What collection A. A famous collection of more than 300 pieces, ranging from Meissen porcelain figures,00:00 Fri 30th Nov 2001

The New British Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Q. What's going on at the V & A A. After a major makeover of its decorative arts galleries The V & A has just opened 15 extra rooms to the public. The British Galleries, as they are known,00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001