Literary journeys are popular. novum publishing took a look at places where reality and fiction come together and afternoon tea is served in an atmosphere that could be straight from a Jane Austen novel.
Reading books means travelling through stories but also through the whole world: we can join Elizabeth Bennett, taking long walks in the hills of South England and dreaming of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Leopold Bloom, roaming the quarters of Dublin, or Frodo in Middle-earth.
Quite often, the poets of this world take us on literary journeys. With great attention to detail they show us things we would never have discovered without them. Then it is not important at all if the story takes place in a setting based on the author’s imagination or at places that really exist.
If you do not only enjoy getting lost between the lines when reading a book, but also like to visit the location where your favorite fictional heroes roam, you should pick books close to reality. If booklovers want to feel really close to their favorite characters, they can even travel to the real places. You can follow the traces of Goethe or Hemingway at Lake Maggiore or visit New Zealand where “The Lord of the Rings” was shot. Novum publishing researched the hot spots of the literary map, right in time before the travel season starts.
- “Pride and Prejudice” – Tête-à- tête in the Midlands
When you wander through the impressive halls of Chatsworth House just like Elizabeth Bennet, you will probably expect to encounter Mr. Darcy behind every door. The English stately home in Derbyshire was used as Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s home, in the film adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice”. The house itself also inspired Jane Austen when she wrote the famous novel.
Apart from the romantic atmosphere, Chatsworth House is worth a visit because of the baroque architecture and the garden, the artificial lake and the impressive Emperor Fountain which has been the tallest gravity-fed fountain of the world for many decades. The water is shot up to 84 meters into the air. Fans of the classics can find even more places that inspired Jane Austen on literature-themed trips across England.
- “The Brontë Sisters” – (Wuthering) Heights and Depths in North England
In 2016, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Brontë’s birth – one more reason to visit the place in North England where the four sisters wrote their novels. The former family home of Charlotte, Emily, Branwell and Anne who published their works under male pseudonyms is a museum now and it can be visited by book lovers. The Brontë Parsonage Museum resulted from an initiative by the Brontë Society which had been organizing literature events, exhibitions and supporting authors since 1983. Visitors and aspirant writers can take an inspiring look at Charlotte Brontë’s study and the library that contains the largest collection of original documents such as manuscripts, letters and poetry. Apart from the literature aspect, travelers will be impressed by the great countryside. The museum is located in Brontë County. This moorland area, named after the sisters, is said to have inspired Emily Brontë to write her classic novel “Wuthering Heights”.
- “Ulysses” – Literature on the Liffey river
James Joyce was not the only one who placed his characters in Ireland. The lush green landscape of the island inspired Yeats, Wilde and Stoker, just like many authors of contemporary literature. Booklovers can choose to follow the traces of Leopold Bloom in Dublin or replay the scene in the Wicklow Mountains in their minds in which Holly and Gerry from Cecilia Ahern’s “P.S. I love you” meet for the first time. Furthermore, in addition to fine whiskey, the Irish capital is also home to the Dublin Writers Museum. After an interesting visit, one can enjoy some Irish coffee in an illustrious book shop.
- “Twilight” – Vampires in Forks
Forks is a small town which, according to Stephenie Meyer, gets relatively little sun and is frequently covered by a thick layer of clouds. When the “Twilight” series became famous, so did Forks. Bus companies offer “Twilight tours” and take fans to the legendary meeting points of Bella and Edward. The restaurants’ menus offer Bella Burgers and Jacob Black Shakes, Bella’s famous truck is parked in the streets and there are events such as the New Moon Festival or the Stephenie Meyer anniversary where the small town near Washington pays tribute to the “Twilight” hype all year long. Apart from the myths about vampires and werewolves, Forks is certainly worth a visit because of the beautiful landscape that reaches from the forests of the Olympic National Park to the beach “La Push”.
- “Lord of the Rings” – Middle-earth in New Zealand
Even though Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” is a product of his imagination, it has an earthly equivalent in New Zealand. Fans of this fantasy series make pilgrimages from one place-to-be to another. The film set of Hobbiton was built in Matamata, and instead of deconstructing it after the movies were shot, it became available to tourists and fans of Middle-earth who can now visit the hobbits’ caves and the Green Dragon Inn Rivendell is located in the Kaitoke Regional Park, a fertile part of the rainforest, you will even find signs pointing towards it.
If you do not want to travel that far in order to pay tribute to a literary hero, you can also use your imagination. Novum publishing provides you with plenty of wonderful castles in the air: just take a look at our books which are also available in our online shop. And for future authors, our publishing house in picturesque Neckenmarkt, Austria, is also a popular destination.
We wish you creative inspiration!
Yours,
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