Writers know the importance of settings. They create mood, amplify themes, and develop characters. Sometimes settings even become characters. More importantly, the right location can spark inspiration that gets a writer going in the first place.
While any location has the potential to launch literary endeavors and feature prominently in them, a few cities around the world have developed especially storied histories in relation to the literary arts. The eight cities in this list have a particularly rich relationship with the written word, making them prime destinations for bibliophiles and literary scholars to explore.
1. London, England
From Sherlock’s capers to Shakespeare’s creations, London boasts an enviable literary pedigree. A significant swath of the English language’s greatest writers wrote in or about London, including Charles Dickens, George Orwell, Graham Greene, Virginia Woolf, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Anthony Trollope, and Agatha Christie, to name a few.
Walker Larson
Author
Before becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master’s in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, “Hologram” and “Song of Spheres.”
