Most of the world’s literature has beautiful places that inspired writers to reflect cities and countries rich in history. Whether it be the Westminster Bridge or Kublai Khan, inspiration lurks in every corner of the world. Most books in the genre of popular fiction are rooted in a city’s heart bringing the benefits and the drawbacks into the open.
Many of the world’s phenomenal writers have found this inspiration and mimicked that sheer beauty in their works of art. Countries and cities have motivated writers to pen them down over the centuries, making the surge of elegance inhabiting these cities immortalized forever.
Here are some places that have inspired great writers (these are just a few, if I were to mention all, a book would have been in progress by now).
Presenting you with the list of The 6 Places That Inspired Writers!
1. London – Places That Inspired Writers
This city is not just the home to Mr. Holmes; it also harbors Mrs. Dalloway, Harry Potter, and the Diagon Alley. Great writers like Chaucer and Swift have mentioned London.
Gulliver begins his journey from London, and Dorian Gray indulges in excessive passion. The London of the Romantics like Blake and Wordsworth and Samuel Johnson’s London might be different, but the city presents an extravagant image of sophistication and liveliness.
2. Troy( Ilios), Turkey – Places That Inspired Writers
The city of Troy, located in modern-day Turkey, inspired Homer to write an epic poem comprising twenty-four books, which inspired another book by Homer, Odyssey, which talks about the journey of Odysseus after the war. Homer wrote of the Spartan war and the face that launched a thousand ships- the famous Helen. Since then, many works reflect the characters of the Iliad.
3. Italy – Places That Inspired Writers
Petrarch’s Italian sonnets have acted as an inspiration for other sonnet writers like Shakespeare in Elizabethan England. Italy has given rise to prominent literary figures like Giovanni Boccaccio and Tasso. Novels like ‘A Farewell to Arms’ and ‘The Name of the Rose’ are based in Italy. Rome, Italy’s capital, has inspired the greatest playwright, Shakespeare, who wrote plays like Julius Caesar, Antony, Cleopatra, and Coriolanus. In Italy, cities like Verona and Venice encourage the famous plays Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice.
4. Dublin – Places That Inspired Writers
Literature runs through the veins of this Irish capital. The city is the home to writers like William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, and Samuel Beckett, who have contributed volumes to literature. Joyce’s description of the city in the novel Ulysses might change how you experience the city when you’re visiting Dublin.
5. Greece – Places That Inspired Writers
Classical literature is a significant era of ancient Greek writers like Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Aristophanes. It also gave birth to philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. Many texts are inspired by Greek mythology like ‘The Modern Prometheus’ and poems like ‘Leda and the Swan.’ Alexander Pope’s translations of Homer have served a great purpose too.
6. Spain- Places That Inspired Writers
Spain had made contributions to literature even before literature was written in the medieval period. Latin American literature is the literature of the Spanish colonies. Cervantes’ Don Quixote and Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell are famous texts in and about Spain. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a Colombian writer who writes in Spanish and is renowned for his books like ‘ One Hundred Years of Solitude’ and ‘Love in the Time of Cholera.’
Pragya Anurag
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Last Updated on by Laveleena Sharma
This article successfully weaves together literature, history, and geography, offering readers a fascinating glimpse into the world of writers and the places that fueled their creativity. It’s an informative and enjoyable read for both literature enthusiasts and those curious about the intersections of art and location.