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10 literary protagonists who made their city their own

Fiction is a wonderful way to travel from your sofa, and many literary protagonists were proud city dwellers. Here we reveal their favourite haunts, so you can follow in the footsteps of your heroes.
1

London, England: Thomas Cromwell, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Thomas Cromwell takes centre stage in the 2009 novel Wolf Hall, which chronicles the statesman’s rise to power as King Henry VIII's chief minister.

Fans will find plenty of spots connected to Cromwell in London’s “urban gut”, and Gray’s Inn, one of the city’s four Inns of Court, is a good place to begin. Cromwell, a lawyer himself, was a member here and the flower-filled grounds are open to the public at select times. 

Next, strike east to Austin Friars, a street in the City where Cromwell once lived – the opulent Draper’s Hall stands at the site of his former home.
2

Edinburgh, Scotland: Inspector Rebus, The Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin

John Rebus, the surly inspector in Rankin’s detective series, calls Edinburgh home. Rankin’s novels delve into the shadowy underbelly of Scotland’s capital, but his protagonist spends much of his time at a snug backstreet pub. The Oxford Bar is Rebus’s favoured haunt, and you too can hole up here with a pint.  

Another top spot is Cowgate, a street slicing through Edinburgh’s Old Town. This notoriously gloomy avenue rears its head frequently in the Rebus novels, mainly because it’s home to the city mortuary.   

Die-hard fans should also take a Rebus Tour for an unparalleled glimpse into the detective’s dark world.
3

Paris, France: Jean Valjean, Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

No novel is more synonymous with Paris than Les Misérables. Jean Valjean, the criminal-turned-benefactor on whom the book centres, spends much of the story in the French capital. Sadly, most of Valjean’s early 19th-century Paris – where revolutionaries built barricades along narrow, twisting streets – is gone. 

So, to bring Hugo’s famous character to life, you’ll need to go underground. In a gripping scene, Valjean escapes from the barricades through Paris’s sewer system, having rescued wounded Marius. While it might not top your Parisian bucket list, the Musée des Égouts de Paris (Paris Sewer Museum) offers a fabulous tour of these subterranean sites.
4

New York City, USA: Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

New York has appeared in plenty of great novels, but Catcher in the Rye is an urban classic. It follows Holden Caulfield, a troubled teen expelled from prep school, on his escapades in the Big Apple.

The novel is crammed with New York sights visited by young Holden. Make for buzzing Broadway, where he takes Sally Hales to a show, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he meets sister Phoebe. 

For a change of pace, visit The Pond at Central Park – Holden’s concern for the fate of the ducks here in winter is a recurring theme in the novel. 
5

Stockholm, Sweden: Lisbeth Salander, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Scandinavian thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo quickly earned a cult following. It follows hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist as they investigate the case of a missing girl.

Much of the action takes place in Södermalm, the cool island neighbourhood where Salander and Blomkvist live – and the best way to explore it is with the Millenium Tour. Dedicated to the novel and its characters, the tour criss-crosses the island passing bars and cafés frequented by the pair and Salander’s own apartment. 
6

Mumbai, India: Saleem Sinai, Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie is bound up with this Indian city, and so too is Saleem Sinai, the protagonist of Midnight’s Children. Set predominantly in post-colonial Mumbai, the novel follows Sinai, a child born at the precise moment India gained independence, who finds he has telepathic powers. 

Mumbai’s rich culture and notorious bustle is captured beautifully within Rushdie’s novel and many famed sights are peppered throughout. The most notable are monumental arch the Gateway to India, and the Haji Ali Dargah mosque, an island shrine.
7

Dublin, Republic of Ireland: Leopold Bloom, Ulysses by James Joyce

Dublin is the stomping ground of Leopold Bloom, the outcast and everyman who leads Joyce’s Ulysses. His wanderings in the city drive the novel and you’ll find landmarks associated with him across town. 

Take the ‘Footsteps of Leopold Bloom’ tour by the James Joyce Centre. You’ll weave through Dublin, finishing on Kildare Street and the National Library of Ireland, where Bloom heads in “Episode 9 – Scylla and Charybdis”.

Other spots include the Ormond Hotel, where Bloom dines in “Episode 11 – Sirens”. The hotel is undergoing a modern makeover, but there’ll be echoes of the character throughout, from plaques to textual extracts. 
8

Florence, Italy: Lucy Honeychurch, A Room with a View, by E. M. Forster

Readers of Forster’s A Room with a View find themselves whisked away to Florence with Lucy Honeychurch, a wealthy young woman taking a tour of Italy. 

The Tuscan city is as important a character as Honeychurch here, with stars including soaring Basilica of Santa Croce and sprawling Piazza della Signoria, where Honeychurch witnesses a murder. Explore them both on a walking tour – Florence is a joy to explore on foot.
9

Los Angeles, USA: Philip Marlowe, The Philip Marlowe series, Raymond Chandler

Chandler’s hardened and heavy-drinking detective, Philip Marlowe, solves crime in the City of Angels, and there are many ways to get close to him.

Locations from Santa Monica Pier to Sunset Boulevard provide a backdrop for Marlowe’s crime-fighting exploits, and you can take them in on dedicated sightseeing tours. His fictional office is also tucked away along Cahuenga Boulevard.
10

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Nella Oortman, The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Nella Oortman, hero of Burton’s 2014 novel, finds herself in Amsterdam after marrying a rich merchant. The story is focused around the intricate dollhouse gifted to Nella by her husband, and the miniaturist who furnishes it, but 17th-century Amsterdam comes to the fore too. 

Wander along Gouden Bocht, a stretch of the Herengracht canal with grand, waterside houses – it’s here that Nella lives with her new husband. To seek out the mysterious miniaturist, head to Kalverstraat – the street she resides on is now a bustling commercial artery.

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