The AnswerBank Articles

Can a book ever successfully be turned into a film

A. It's probably fair to say that more people will see a film adaptation of a book than read the original. This is certainly true of big films taken from literary novels such as The English Patient00:00 Mon 30th Apr 2001

How do you encourage a child's interest in art

A. Making the jump from a child's interest in drawing and painting to developing a real interest in art has not traditionally been the easiest of tasks. The best way to view art is to see the real00:00 Mon 30th Apr 2001

Tremors of a Geisha

It is one of the most popular novels about Japan in recent times - selling millions of copies in 32 languages - so why is the real-life geisha who provided the model for Arthur Golden's best-selling00:00 Wed 25th Apr 2001

Who is R.L. Stine

Q. Who is R.L. Stine A. Many adults will not have heard of him, but American Robert Lawrence Stine is, perhaps with the exception of J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter books, the best-selling living00:00 Tue 24th Apr 2001

Can the destruction of cultural buildings be called a war crime

asked Janelh, following the recent charges against members of the Yugoslav military for shelling Dubrovnik A. For most of our history the destruction and looting of buildings and cultural and00:00 Tue 24th Apr 2001

Who is Marina Abramovic

A. Marina Abramovic has described herself as 'the grandmother of performance artists'. She was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1946, and started performing her pieces in the late 1960s. Her early00:00 Tue 24th Apr 2001

Who was the Super Tramp poet

A. William Henry Davies became known as the Super-Tramp. He's worth knowing a little about, as he had an unusual life for a poet - or an unusual life for a tramp, depending on how you look at it. Born00:00 Mon 16th Apr 2001

Following the furore over photographs in the Saatchi Gallery, should art be subject to censorship

A. Issues of censorship and limitations on individual freedom of expression must rank among the most difficult areas to legislate upon and police in any liberal democracy. The central question is: Who00:00 Mon 16th Apr 2001

Who designed the new mayor's building in London

A. The new building, not yet completed, was designed by Lord Foster, better known as Sir Norman Foster. Q. What's it like A. The building, which will combine the mayor's official residence as well00:00 Mon 16th Apr 2001

What philosophy is there in the book Le Petit Prince

asks Faulmarc A. First published in French in 1943 and translated into English as The Little Prince the same year, Le Petit Prince was an instant success and has remained enduringly popular. Although00:00 Mon 09th Apr 2001

Where can the work of the artist John Napper be seen

asks Kriskwery A. It is hard to get to see work by John Napper, who died in March this year, because he tends to sell his work to private collectors and exhibit in small regional galleries. There00:00 Mon 09th Apr 2001

Has political correctness beaten Punch and Judy

asked PhilD A. The traditional Punch and Judy script is sexist, violent. lawless and terribly politically incorrect. Q. How so A. Punch beats up his wife, throws the baby down the stairs, steals00:00 Wed 28th Mar 2001

What is being exhibited at the British Museum's new African galleries

A. On 3 March 2001, the Sainsbury's African Galleries were opened at the British Museum, London. Funded largely by the Sainsbury supermarket family, along with a donation from the Henry Moore00:00 Tue 27th Mar 2001

What were the earliest forms of art

A. We associate cave paintings with the earliest presence of humans and their artistic abilities. In fact, cave painting has never ceased as a form of artistic self expression. The Dunhuang caves on00:00 Mon 26th Mar 2001

Can you unravel poetry jargon for me

Okay, here goes... Q. What's a stanza A. A group of lines in a poem that, unlike verse, do not necessarily rhyme. Q. What's a sonnet A. A poem of fourteen lines in length with a rhyming scheme00:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

How do we preserve National treasures

Q. How do we preserve national treasures A. By artificially creating conditions that slow down their deterioration. Whatever the work of art, be it a marble relief or a pickled shark, care and00:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

Multiple choice questions

THE best question on The AnswerBank's Arts & Literature channel this week have come from Bridie who asked a really interesting question about modern architecture. So much attention is paid to the00:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

How do you find out who painted a work of art

A. Take a look at the medium, is it oils, pastels, watercolour etc. Look at the subject matter, the date (if avaiable) and the style. You will need expert advice once you have established these00:00 Mon 19th Mar 2001

Do limericks originate from Ireland

...asked Lomfats A. No-one is really sure, but the origins can be traced back to the fourteenth century. Limericks were originally associated with children's nursery rhymes, but were then developed00:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001

Where can I see the work of the sculptor Henry Moore

asked Ollie... A. As well as those listed in the answer, there is also a sculpture famous to all who watch the TV news bulletins: the bronze that forms a backdrop to members of the House of Lords,00:00 Mon 12th Mar 2001