On this day in 1970, Biafra capitulated, ending the Nigerian civil war. The Biafra conflict provided the basis for the Fredrick Forsyth novel, The Dogs of War . This week’s quiz is about real-life inspirations for the arts.

Getting real

1 Which traditional song, often taught to children, was reportedly about the neglect in the 13th century of a government property by Eleanor, wife of King Henry III, who spent the money for maintenance on herself?

2 Which cult song is a retelling of the songwriter’s experiences in the Executive Room bar in Los Angeles under the name Bill Martin as he was trying to avoid a conflict with his then recording company?

3 Which critically acclaimed Hindi film was centred around the Abu Nidal Organisation’s attempted hijack of a passenger aircraft on September 5, 1986?

4 Which legendary work of art was ‘inspired’ by events on April 26, 1937, in a town in the province of Biscay in Spain?

5 Which poem came from an instruction misheard by Lord Raglan on October 25, 1854? The person relaying the instruction died in the next few minutes, so who exactly made the mistake has never been determined.

6 Which work of fiction was inspired by the 18th-century Scottish cabinet-maker Deacon William Brodie, who also maintained a secret life as a burglar?

7 Which Agatha Christie masterpiece used the real-life kidnapping of famed 20th-century aviator Charles Lindbergh’s baby as the background for the story?

8 The aftermath of which event from December 2, 1984, is Indra Sinha’s novel Animal’s People based on?

9 Which soon-to-be-released film is based on the true stories of Mumbai’s street rappers, Divine and Naezy?

10 Which Beatles song was about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi? The song title was also originally Maharishi but changed on George Harrison’s request?

Answers

1 London Bridge is falling down ; she is most likely the “Fair Lady” mentioned in the song

2 Piano Man by Billy Joel. Billy claims all the characters in the song were based on real people

3 Neerja , about the story of Pan Am flight purser Neerja Bhanot who thwarted the hijack attempt but lost her life.

4 Guernica by Pablo Picasso was about the German bombing of the town of Guernica

5 The Charge of The Light Brigade by Lord Tennyson about the legendary action during the Crimean War

6 The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde , written by Robert Louis Stevenson

7 Murder on the Orient Express , first published in 1934, and twice filmed

8 The Bhopal Gas Leak

9 Gully Boy , directed by Zoya Akhtar and starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt

10 Sexie Sadie , written by Lennon, a play on ‘Sexy Sadhu’

BLINKJOY
 

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster;

Twitter: @joybhattacharj

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