Literary wanderlust: Holiday destinations inspired by works of fiction

We may travel with a book in hand, but how often are we inspired to visit a country because of a piece of literature?  Literary wanderlust: Holiday destinations inspired by works of fiction is what we will explore here.

Literary wanderlust: Holiday destinations inspired by fiction have become famous simply because an author was inspired. Sometimes, the writer places the protagonist directly in a town or a city. Other times, the location of a book plot is fictional, but the author clearly gained inspiration from a real place. Here, we look at some beautiful holiday destinations inspired by works of fiction.

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The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Positano, Italy

The ‘Mongibello’ of the book, where Tom Ripley is sent to meet Dickie, is based on Positano on the Amalfi Coast, one of Italy’s most beautiful regions. Two film adaptations have bolstered the area’s popularity among fans of the book and films.

In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

Loire Valley, France

Few fictional works are as evocative of Proust’s opus In Search of Lost Time. He vividly remembers his childhood in the Loire Valley, particularly Illiers-Combray, just southwest of Chartres, where he famously remembered his madeleines.  

One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Caribbean Coast, Colombia

Gabriel García Márquez’s astonishing work of magical realism has, since its publication in 1967, thrown a spotlight on the good side of Colombia. The fictional town of Macondo is based on Colombia’s Caribbean town of Aracataca, and an upcoming Netflix adaptation will undoubtedly boost tourism here.  

Ulysses by James Joyce

Dublin, Ireland

No matter how far you got through Ulysses, Dublin holds its most famous author on a pedestal, literally, in this city. You’ll find the James Joyce Centre, and visit Trinity College’s Long Room Library, where he wrote it. Pubs mentioned in the book or frequented by the author are still open.  

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Memoirs Of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is a step back in time on any visit to Japan. The tradition of the geisha or geiko has diminished but continues in the Gion district of Kyoto. Memoirs Of A Geisha did much to highlight this part of Japanese culture.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Oxford, UK

Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy opens with the protagonist, Lyra Belacqua, leaping through the colleges of Oxford. The city’s Pitt Rivers Museum holds some of the props used in the excellent BBC adaptation. Oxford also inspired J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, among other authors.  

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

California, US

John Steinbeck wrote about what he knew. In his books East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and Cannery Row, set in Monterey, he immortalised life in Monterey County. The National Steinbeck Center, in the author’s hometown of Salinas, looks into the worlds he wrote about.

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Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Prague, Czech Republic

Kundera’s book, Unbearable Lightness of Being, published in 1984, follows the artistic life in Prague during an invasion. Franz Kafka perhaps has done more to put Prague on the map for literary visitors who can visit locations and his house.