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Literature tours for book lovers and others

Well here’s to our third Literary Tour issue. It’s not surprising that we return again and again to literary travel. Literature tours encompass and invoke the sites, sounds and smells of a favorite book, poem or author. Making them utilize all their senses, literary tours transport travelers’ minds and bodies, opening their eyes to different realities. What better way to learn about other worlds and cultures?

Literature is the only way we have so far to travel across time and space to learn about what particular societies held as their priorities. The written word, unlike video, utilizes descriptive development of plot and theme, allowing readers to each visualize the narrative in their own way.  Words, suggestive and evocative, ignite the imagination, illuminating more between the lines than can ever be explicitly stated.

Whether you want to follow along the setting of a particular work, visit the haunts of authors or desire an in-depth scholarly course, Cultural Travels has a tour company to fit your needs. 

Name: Classical Pursuits Inc.
Location: Toronto, Canada, and Europe
Specialty: An intensive one-week summer sessions in Toronto and various foreign programs.
Why We Like Them: In connection with Great Books, Classical Pursuits offers a diverse selection of courses during one dedicated week in Toronto each July. Participants get to discuss a book or body of work with a group of other literary enthusitics. Programs change each year and many participants return year after year. Classical Pursuits Inc. also offers longer programs upcoming trips; Dante’s Italy, Federico Garcia Lorca’s Andalucia and, New York’s Algonquin Round Table.

Name: Oxford Literary Tours
Location: Oxford, England
Specialty: Five-day residential study tours
Why We Like Them: A literature lover’s delight. Imagine a week immersed in detailed study of one of the great British authors like; Shakespeare or Sidney. Perhaps you prefer a dedicated topic like the Sonnets, well with only five other like-minded travelers. You can explore the complexities of authors’ work and times in a wonderful academic surrounding. Led by past Oxford dons, the short courses, requiring no prior academic experience, give a taste of life reading at Oxford. Explore the University town’s magic and live the life of an Oxford scholar. 

Name: Lynchpin Tours
Location: Northern and Southern Ireland
Specialty: Custom-designed itineraries; Weddings, Shopping, Literature and more
Why We Like Them: Outspoken and comedic Lowell Courtney is sure to create an Irish experience beyond any you imagined, even if you only speak to him on the phone! As one of the only companies to handle both northern and southern Ireland, Lowell and partner David Hudson are uniquely positioned to offer personalized service, combined with firsthand knowledge and up-to-the-minute information that will allow you to experience the whole of Irish history and culture — from the romantic past to the complex present. Pubs and castles, shopping or golf, and of course literature and (occasionally) politics, are just a few of their specialties.
Article: Ireland – by book or by crook

Name: Discover Paris
Location: Paris
Specialty: Self-guided walking tours, local guides and custom-designed itineraries
Why We Like Them: Discover Paris offers services such as “Paris a la carte” where you choose just the elements you need – restaurant ideas and reservations, accommodations, and local guided excursions, or day-by-day itineraries or self-guided walking tours. A complete travel questionnaire is required from which your customized trip is constructed. The company’s monthly newsletter has a great selection of articles all about Paris. History, art, literature cooking and immigrant African culture are just a few of the topics. With all this fantastic research and dedication, Discover Paris’s planning services are sure to match your specific needs.
Article: The Literary Woman of Montparnasse

Name: Novel Explorations
Location: Great Britain
Specialty: Guided and custom-designed tours where fiction and travel merge
Why We Like Them: Patty Suchy creates three to four group departures each year around a unique theme. Each day’s itinerary is filled with great attractions, accommodations and meals. You’ll explore the history and literature of the theme and discover the places that make the literature come alive. Private talks by curators and specialists in each location add to the enjoyment. The company also arranges custom tours for per-organized groups. 
Article: Introducing Your Family to British Literature

Most cities offer short day tours to the literary spots of interest. You can’t get much closer that walking the streets in the footsteps of a city’s great authors. Here are just a few: San Francisco Literary Tours, London Walks, The Scottish Literary Tour Company.