Chicago literary trivia: The Presidential writer

November 6, 12:32 PMChicago Literary Scene ExaminerRobert Duffer

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Politicians write books. Usually they're explanatory memoirs that strive to recreate his public image positively for posterity. Usually they're crap. Not so with Barack Obama. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance was written when Obama was, at 33, the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. Call it foreshadowing but he was not yet a politician. After Obama's acceptance on election night, ABC 7 news in Chicago invited Rod Blagojevich to weigh in on history. Blago the weasel referenced Bigger, the hopeless black protagonist (and antagonist) of Chicagoan Richard Wright's seminal Native Son. (Click here for the video clip--he says it after the five minute mark.) It's exciting to not only have a president-elect who is a damn fine writer but for his influence to inspire other politicians to quote great literature. After eight years of mangling the American (not English) language, it's a relief to have language be honored by elocution. Novelist Rob Woodard wrote in the UK's Guardian that "Presidents who write well, lead well." Hopefuly comedians won't have such a trove of material.

There's a trivia question somewhere:

Who is the only U.S. President to ever publish a novel?

LAST WEEK'S TRIVIA:

The question:

The "blue and gigantic" eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are the focus of this week's trivia, which is a two-parter. What classic "Great American" novel is he featured in and what is he selling?

The winner:

David Peak wrote, "The Great Gatsby, guy. It's an ad for an optician in Queens, guy." Several other trivia buffs knew the answer but were not as swift as Quickdraw Peak, who reads the novel yearly, guy.

Don't forget to check out the verbatim adaptation of Gatsby, Gatz, at the MCA next weekend.