Latest news with #NorwegianWood
NDTV
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- NDTV
Literary Journeys Are Changing The Way We Travel: 10 Bucket-List Destinations Inspired By Famous Novels
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Explore 10 real-life destinations that inspired iconic novels, from Sherlock Holmes' London to Harry Potter's Edinburgh. Experience the charm of Verona, the beauty of Prince Edward Island, and the allure of Paris, each steeped in literary history. Some books don't just tell a story — they make you feel like you've actually been somewhere. You can almost smell the rain-soaked streets of Victorian London, feel the sun on a Tuscan hillside, or hear the buzz of 1920s New York. That's the power of a great setting. And in some cases, those spots exist off the page, too. Literary travel isn't about chasing fictional ghosts — it's about connecting with the unique places that sparked a writer's imagination. From classic novels to pop-culture giants, here are 10 real-life holiday destinations tied to some of the most iconic works of fiction ever written. Here Are 10 Best Holiday Destinations That Inspired The World's Most Famous Novels: 1. London, England — Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle London isn't just a backdrop for Sherlock Holme s — it's practically a supporting character. From the foggy lanes of Baker Street to the gas-lit alleys of Soho, Holmes' world is alive in today's capital. You can visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum at the iconic 221B, browse first editions at Daunt Books, or follow Holmes-themed walking tours that trace his adventures across landmarks like the Royal Opera House and the Embankment. The original stories, first published in The Strand magazine in the late 19th century, changed the detective genre forever — and turned Victorian London into a place of cunning intellect and sinister charm. Even now, it feels oddly fitting to read Holmes on the Tube, glancing up suspiciously at fellow passengers. 2. Paris, France — The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Say what you will about The Da Vinci Code, but Dan Brown didn't just write a thriller — he redefined Paris tourism for a whole new generation. The novel's dizzying mix of art history and conspiracy theories weaves through some of the city's most iconic locations, from the Louvre Museum to Saint-Sulpice Church and beyond. Sure, it's heavy on the melodrama, but the thrill of standing in front of the Mona Lisa, knowing Robert Langdon sprinted past the same spot, is undeniable. Plus, Paris is never a bad idea — especially when layered with riddles, cryptic symbols, and a side of espresso. 3. Tokyo, Japan — Norwegian Woo d by Haruki Murakami Murakami's melancholic coming-of-age novel is steeped in 1960s Tokyo, even if much of the story unfolds in memory. The city has changed, but places like Yoyogi Park, Waseda University, and Shinjuku still echo the emotional isolation and beauty of Norwegian Wood. Murakami rarely names locations directly, but the atmosphere of Tokyo — its quiet corners, rainy afternoons, and neon-soaked nights — is in every line. It's modern literary travel: Subtle, emotional, and deeply personal. 4. Verona, Italy — Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Shakespeare probably never set foot in Verona, but that hasn't stopped the city from embracing Romeo and Juliet with full romantic fervour. The Casa di Giulietta, with its famous balcony and a bronze statue of Juliet, draws thousands of visitors annually. Letters to Juliet-real ones, asking for love advice-are still delivered here, and a team of volunteers replies to them, just like in the film. The city itself, with its terracotta rooftops, winding lanes and Roman amphitheatre, feels like a sonnet come to life. Sure, it's touristy-but also surprisingly moving. 5. Prince Edward Island, Canada — Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Few books have put a place on the map quite like Anne of Green Gables. The windswept fields, red cliffs, and sleepy villages of Prince Edward Island are more than a setting — they're practically a character. L.M. Montgomery based Avonlea on her own hometown of Cavendish, and fans can now visit Green Gables Heritage Place, the Anne of Green Gables Museum, and even stay at themed B&Bs. Whether you grew up with Anne's stories or discovered them later, visiting PEI is like stepping into a gentler, more poetic version of the world. Bonus: The seafood is outstanding. 6. New York, USA — The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Gatsby's parties might have been fictional, but they had very real inspiration. Fitzgerald based East and West Egg on Long Island's Gold Coast, where mansions still line the water. New York City itself — the backdrop to Gatsby's rise and Daisy's distraction — was the epicentre of Roaring Twenties glamour. Today, you can sip cocktails in Gatsby-style jazz clubs, stroll through Central Park in vintage attire, or visit the Plaza Hotel, where one of the novel's most dramatic scenes unfolds. It's all opulence, ambition, and aching nostalgia — just like the book. 7. Salzburg, Austria — The Sound of Music (based on Maria von Trapp's memoirs) While best known as a musical, The Sound of Music is rooted in real events-and real places. Maria von Trapp's memoir inspired the story, and Salzburg has embraced its role in the world's collective imagination. You can join a Sound of Music tour (yes, they sing on the bus), visit the Mirabell Gardens, or even hike up the hills that were, quite literally, alive with music. It's kitschy. It's touristy. And it's completely wonderful — especially if you grew up watching Julie Andrews twirl in Technicolor. 8. Edinburgh, Scotland — Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling Edinburgh is where J K Rowling wrote much of Harry Potter, scribbling early drafts in cafes like The Elephant House and Spoon. Fans flock to Greyfriars Kirkyard, where gravestones bear names like "McGonagall" and "Riddle". But even beyond Potter, the city has serious literary chops. It's home to the Scottish Storytelling Centre, hosts the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and was the world's first UNESCO City of Literature. Rowling also drew heavily from the grandeur of the Oxford University in England and its centuries-old traditions, and several scenes from the Harry Potter films were shot here. If Hogwarts had a twin, it would be here — hidden behind ancient stone walls and spiral staircases. 9. Bath, England — Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Although most of Pride and Prejudice unfolds in the English countryside, Bath was a pivotal place in Austen's life and several of her novels. She lived there from 1801 to 1806, and the city's elegant Georgian architecture influenced Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Austenites can visit the Jane Austen Centre, dress in Regency attire for the annual Jane Austen Festival, or stroll along Royal Crescent pretending they've just received a scandalous letter from Mr. Darcy. Bath is charming, walkable, and steeped in literary romance. 10. Barcelona, Spain — The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon If ever a novel made a love letter of its setting, it's this one. The Shadow of the Wind isn't just set in Barcelona — it's obsessed with it. Ruiz Zafon's gothic mystery captures the foggy alleys of the Barri Gotic, the grandeur of Passeig de Gracia, and the melancholy weight of post-war Spain. Many of the book's settings are real, and there's even a literary walking tour that follows the footsteps of protagonist Daniel. For fans, it's like being handed a map to the secret heart of the city.
India.com
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
From ‘Norwegian Wood' to ‘Men Without Women': 7 Best Works Of Haruki Murakami Everyone Must Read Once
photoDetails english 2909478 Haruki Murakami's literary world is a mesmerizing blend of the surreal and the deeply human, where everyday lives intersect with mystery, memory, and metaphysical questions. He was born in 1949 and his works have been translates into more than 50 languages and his most popular works are Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore and more. Scroll down to read more about his works. Updated:Jun 01, 2025, 03:33 PM IST Who is Haruki Murakami? 1 / 8 Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer born in 1949 is one of the most celebrated literary voices of times. His works have been translated into more than 50 languages. His characters often feel alienated from society, drifting through love, loss, and parallel realities. With his global fan base and numerous literary awards, Murakami continues to captivate readers with stories that are as strange as they are emotionally resonant. Norwegian Wood 2 / 8 Published in 1987, this is one of the most popular books, this heartbreaking novel explores the themes of love and grief, the book is set in the 1960s in Tokyo. It remains one of his most accessible and emotionally raw novels, showcasing his ability to explore human fragility without leaning on the surreal. Kafka on the Shore 3 / 8 This amazing read was published in 2002, 'Kafka on the Shore' is a perfect blend of fantasy, metaphysics, and philosophy. The book is full of riddles, double meanings, and classical references, this novel invites interpretation and rereading, and is often named among his most inventive and iconic works. 1Q84 4 / 8 The book was first published in three volumes 2009-10, this book explores the themes of love, destiny, and alternate realities are explored in depth. The book follows the story of an assassin and a math teacher as they become entangled in a mysterious parallel world. Men Without Women 5 / 8 This is a collection of short stories which was published in 2014 and each story explores the emotional solitude of men who have lost or been left by women, touching on loneliness, heartbreak, and the quiet ache of everyday life. Dance Dance Dance 6 / 8 This is Murakami's sixth novel and was first published in 1988, this book centres around the life of an unnamed narrator who is drifting through a Tokyo filled with lost connections, odd jobs, and supernatural encounters. After Dark 7 / 8 This amazing novel was published in 2004 and it explores the themes of alienation in the urban world. It revolves around the stories of insomniacs, runaways, and a girl who sleeps in suspended animation, the novel feels like a dream you wake from feeling haunted. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle 8 / 8 The novel was first published in 1994-95, it is one of Murakami's most powerful novels. The book follows an unassuming man whose search for his missing wife leads him into a surreal underworld of war stories, psychic experiences, and deep personal reckonings.
NZ Herald
24-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
The Good Life: Bonfire of my vanity
An expert with some firewood. Photo / Michele Hewitson I am not, as a rule, a boastful man. But I do believe, and I say this in all modesty, that I am the most prominent writer on the subject of firewood in the entirety of the great province of Wairarapa. At least as far as I know. I have certainly spent much time considering the subject, and have regaled – if that is the right word – the readers of this fine magazine on many occasions on the sourcing, chopping, seasoning, storing and burning of firewood at Lush Places. I have, through this column, shared my many firewood mishaps along with my modest firewood triumphs. I have expended, I imagine, almost as many words talking and writing about firewood as I have burnt sticks of firewood. If I were a boastful man, and as I say, I am not, I might even say that I am, without an atom of doubt, the Wairarapa's leading bore on the subject. So when I heard on the grapevine that this year's annual Booktown Festival in nearby Featherston was to host Lars Mytting, the prominent Norwegian writer, on the subject of firewood, I found myself imagining it would be only a matter of time before a polite, likely handwritten letter on quality paper would arrive at Lush Places inviting me to chat live on stage with Mr Mytting about the subject of firewood for the edification of a paying audience. I acquired a copy of Mr Mytting's evocative and useful book, Norwegian Wood: Chopping, stacking and drying wood the Scandinavian way, not long after we washed up here in the country some 100 or so years ago. No, I was not Scandinavian. No, I was not cutting down my own trees in my own birch wood and hand-chopping it before stacking it into some sort of firewood sculpture. I was actually buying split firewood from John up the road. But as a firewood tyro, I felt I needed the sort of advice only a genuine Scandinavian firewood expert might provide. Let me tell you what the 700,000 people around the world who have the book know: Norwegian Wood is an absolute trove of wisdom for the firewood novice. On the subject of seasoning, for example, Mr Mytting writes, 'Drying is a small science of its own. Like the fermentation of beer, the seasoning of wood should be a slow and undisturbed natural process, untouched by the bustle of life elsewhere. The time it takes is the time it takes.' What is that if not firewood poetry? No letter arrived. Mr Mytting was instead to be 'in conversation' with a Mr John Campbell, a prominent Auckland broadcaster, but not, if I am correct, a prominent local writer on the subject of firewood. I may have seethed. But only briefly. This snub, imagined perhaps but real enough to me, did not stop me from being part of the paying audience three Saturdays ago at the Anzac Hall in Featherston, a handsome affair featuring a native wood interior lined with patriotic flags and many, many photos of long-dead war horses, snooty generals and that dreadful Hun, King George V. Mr Mytting proved to be a most impressive specimen. Like a birch, he was very tall, good-looking and hardly seemed foreign at all. He told us how it took him four days to carefully select and down trees for a winter's worth of firewood, and about 12 evenings to split and stack it. On occasion, he said, he uses an axe rather than a chainsaw. It made the felling process more 'ceremonial'. A lovely thought. He offered tips, but also told us of a bizarre but successful stage play based on his book – it sounded like Waiting For Godot To Stack His Firewood – and that he has a new edition of Norwegian Wood on the way that is twice the length of the original. When the hour was over, I was left with the well-formed impression that Mr Mytting was not just Norway's leading firewood expert, but a fine fellow to boot. As for Mr Campbell, I will say this, though I am not one to throw bouquets: he did all right. For an amateur.
RNZ News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Norwegian culture, heritage and woodstacking with bestselling author Lars Mytting
This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. In the 1860s and 70s two Norwegian settlements were established in the lower North Island. As the name of one of those today suggests - Norsewood - Norwegians were invited to settle here to clear a huge swathe of forest known as Seventy Mile Bush. Which makes the arrival of Norwegian novelist Lars Mytting this weekend down the road at Wairarapa book festival Booktown in Featherston rather apt. He's there also ahead of literary events in Christchurch and Auckland. Mytting is still best known internationally for his 2015 non-fiction book Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way . Considered one of that region's greatest publishing successes - as you read it, you really can smell the freshly-cut wood. But Lars Mytting is principally a novelist. And since Norwegian Wood he has published a remarkable historical fiction series The Sister Bells Trilogy . Set in a remote valley in central Norway, the three novels tell the story of a small farming community and take place over three generations - from the 1880s through until the end of the second world war. The novels track the tension between long-held ways of living and modernisation, and between Norwegian culture and the influence of others. The Sister Bells Trilogy has been enormously successful in Norway - 400,000 copies sold, it's said, in a country with the population of New Zealand. The books have also been acclaimed internationally, and the last of the three books The Night of the Scourge has just been published in English translation. Lars is speaking in events at Auckland Writers Festival May 16, 17 and 18 and in a Word Christchurch event May 21.
RNZ News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Norwegian culture, heritage and woodstacking
In the 1860s and 70s two Norwegian settlements were established in the lower North Island. As the name of one of those today suggests - Norsewood - Norwegians were invited to settle here to clear a huge swathe of forest known as Seventy Mile Bush. Which makes the arrival of Norwegian novelist Lars Mytting this weekend diown the road at Wairarapa book festival Booktown in Featherston rather apt. He's there also ahead of literary events in Christchurch and Auckland. Mytting is still best known internationally for his 2015 non-fiction book Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way. Considered one of that region's greatest publishing successes - as you read it, you really can smell the freshly-cut wood. But Lars Mytting is principally a novelist. And since Norwegian Wood he has published a remarkable historical fiction series The Sister Bells Trilogy. Set in a remote valley in central Norway, the three novels tell the story of a small farming community and take place over three generations - from the 1880s through until the end of the second world war. The novels track the tension between long-held ways of living and modernisation, and between Norwegian culture and the influence of others. The Sister Bells Trilogy has been enormously successful in Norway - 400,000 copies sold, it's said, in a country with the population of New Zealand. The books have also been acclaimed internationally, and the last of the three books The Night of the Scourge has just been published in English translation. Lars is speaking in events at Auckland Writers Festival May 16, 17 and 18 and in a Word Christchurch event May 21.
