Travel Destinations for Bookworms

Berlin
Why: Artists aren’t the only creative types flocking to Berlin, Europe’s new cultural capital. The city has been attracting both fledgling and established writers from around the globe, including Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides. And don’t forget the stars of Berlin’s lettered past: critic and writer E.T.A. Hoffmann; playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht; Alfred Döblin, author of the classic “Berlin Alexanderplatz”; and Herwarth Walden, editor of the avant-garde magazine Der Sturm.

Boston, Mass.
Why: Many of the country’s most enduring writers lived and worked in Beacon Hill during the nineteenth century. Downtown’s Old Corner Bookstore, once the offices of the publisher Tick-nor and Fields, was the unofficial meeting place of writers such as Emerson and Hawthorne. The Boston Public Library, overlooking Copley Square, is the nation’s first (and still largest) municipal public library. Boston by Foot’s informative Literary Landmarks tour hits all the highlights (bostonbyfoot.com; $12).

Dublin, Ireland
Why: Dublin abounds with literary landmarks, from George Bernard Shaw’s birthplace, now a museum (33 Synge St.; 353-1-475-0854), to bronze statues of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and Brendan Behan on North Earl Street, Merrion Square and the Royal Canal, respectively. McDaids was the drinking haunt of Behan, Joyce, and Sean O’Casey (3 Harry St.).

Also visit Librophiliac Love Letter : A compendium of Beautiful Libraries to see a stunning array of photographs of libraries from all over the world. The article also links you to other links and books which may interest you. Go on and enjoy this visual delight.

We also came across an article about a public library coming up in Kotturpuram. With a 120 crore budget, we wonder if this library with eight floors will become a landmark amongst the libraries that exist in India.

Tell us about the libraries you love and the libraries you wish you could visit.

Image Sources: 1 and 2