WEEKLY WHINE

Literary history by the numbers

There now follows a ranking of the top UNESCO Cities of Literature. Criteria include historical significance, notable writers, and present day festivals.

1. Dublin, Ireland: Dublin is packed with notable sites, like the Dublin Writers’ Museum, the Trinity College Library, and the Oscar Wilde School of Creative Writing. The city’s contributions include George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde.
2. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK: The largest literary festival in the world, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, is held here every August. Edinburgh’s contributions include Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Walter Scott, Arthur Conan Doyle, Kenneth Grahame, and Ian Rankin.
3. Norwich, England, UK: The University of East Anglia has long been a literary hub, boasting the UK’s leading creative writing programme and the British Centre for Literary Translation. Norwich’s contributions include Henry Howard, Thomas Paine, Ian McEwen, Anne Enright, and Stephen Fry.
4. Reykjavík, Iceland: The Icelandic language has changed so little over the past thousand years that modern Icelanders can read the famous Icelandic sagas and Poetic Edda. The city’s contributions include Einar Benediktsson, Halldór Laxness, Einar Már Gudmundsson, Gudbergur Bergsson, and Arnaldur Indriðason.
5. Kraków, Poland: Kraków is loaded with libraries and museums dedicated to antique books, and it hosts two major literary festivals. The city’s contributions include Joseph Conrad, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Stanislaw Lem, Czeslaw Milosz, and Wislawa Szymborska.
6. Prague, Czech Rep: Prague started early with Charles University, central Europe’s oldest university, and now hosts nearly 200 libraries and over 100 bookstores. The city’s contributions include Franz Kafka, Václav Havel, Arnost Lustig, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Milan Kundera.
7. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Melbourne’s literary history begins with the Victoria State Library, the oldest public library in the nation. The city’s contributions include CJ Dennis, Marcus Clarke, Peter Carey, Helen Garner, and Dorothy Porter.
8. Iowa City, IA, USA: The first creative writing programme in the United States, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, has been issuing degrees for over 80 years. Iowa City’s contributors include Philip Levine, James Tate, Philip Roth, Donald Justice, and Yiyun Li.
9. Heidelberg, Germany: Literary cultures come together at Heidelberg University’s Institute of Translation and Interpretation and at the German-American Institute. Heidelberg’s contributions include Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Bettina von Arnim, Steven Bloom, Christa Dericum, and Hilde Domin.
10. Dunedin, New Zealand: Several notable theatres in Dunedin perform works by local playwrights, including the Regent, which hosts an annual 24 hour book sale. The city’s contributions include Thomas Bracken, Janet Frame, Roger Hall, Charles Brasch, and Hone Tuwhara.
11. Granada, Spain: Granada has been a literary centre for hundreds of years, starting with Arabic inscriptions carved into the stone of the Alhambra and continuing on to today’s International Poetry Festival. The city’s contributions include Federico García Lorca, Luis Rosales, Luis García Montero, José Luis Gastón Morata, and Francisco Nieva.