Literary Guide to the World

Page 1 of 2 oldest ⇒
I'm addicted to Harry Potter fan fiction! I'm addicted to Harry Potter fan fiction!
Every moment I'm alone, I'm secretly reading the stories, the forums, the recommendations. I can't stop!
Destination: Brazil Destination: Brazil
After Carnival, soccer and samba, go deeper into this South American nation via its seductive novels and gritty true-life stories.
Destination: Colombia Destination: Colombia
There's more than magical realism in the literature of this beautiful and still very dangerous country.
Destination: Gypsy Europe Destination: Gypsy Europe
Despite their historical distrust of the written word, Europe's Gypsies have a growing -- and captivating -- literary tradition.
Destination: The Netherlands Destination: The Netherlands
Delve into Lowlands literature and discover there's much more to this prosperous nation than wooden clogs, tulips and -- of course -- weed.
Destination: Alaska Destination: Alaska
Put aside stories of a freezing, exotic locale full of igloos and kooks in favor of these portraits of the hardscrabble -- and magical -- Northern state.
Destination: Russia Destination: Russia
Alienation, the struggle for a decent life, really bad weather -- the universal themes of this vast nation's literature make us all feel Russian at one point or another.
Destination: Vancouver Destination: Vancouver
This livable, futuristic, far West outpost of our continent has been a home for writers from Alice Munro to Douglas Coupland.
Destination: Baltimore Destination: Baltimore
If you like "The Wire," delve into books by Robert Ward, John Waters and William Manchester to experience more avenues of Charm City.
Destination: Argentina Destination: Argentina
From Borges to Bruce Chatwin, the rich and moody literature of South America's most European nation reflects its homeland's squandered potential.
Destination: Southern Italy Destination: Southern Italy
The grit -- and beauty -- of this land of Mafioso is captured in the mysteries of Leonardo Sciascia and the expat writings of Mary Taylor Simeti.
Destination: Louisiana Destination: Louisiana
John Kennedy Toole, Ernest Gaines and the recipes of Enola Prudhomme will instruct you in the sorrows and joys of the Bayou State.
Destination: The Alps Destination: The Alps
More than an Alpine playground, Europe's most beloved mountain range has provided the dramatic backdrop in novels by Hemingway, Greene and Salter.
Destination: Australia Destination: Australia
Forget Paul Hogan and Foster's-drinking loudmouths. Bill Bryson and Peter Carey introduce you to real, fiercely proud Australians.
Destination: Norway Destination: Norway
The Eddas -- epic sagas that form the core of Norse religion -- are best read under the ash trees in this Land of the Midnight Sun.
Destination: Turkey Destination: Turkey
This endlessly fascinating, sometimes heartbreaking puzzle of a country that's fraught with religious and political conflict is brilliantly captured in the novels of Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak.
Destination: North and South Korea Destination: North and South Korea
The "black hole" of Asia and its estranged brother to the south are revealed in books from a political refugee, an American mountain man and a war veteran.
Destination: Japan Destination: Japan
From 17th century haikus to the work of Kazuo Ishiguro, writing from this Far East nation reveals an obsession with beauty and discipline.
Destination: Afghanistan Destination: Afghanistan
Westerners who came here in the '70s left magnificent travel writing that captured the rugged, captivating land before war tore it apart.
Destination: Chile Destination: Chile
The crazy character of this wondrous land shines in the poems of Pablo Neruda, while its strife under Pinochet is captured best by José Donoso and Patricia Verdugo
Destination: Berlin Destination: Berlin
The past of this eternally youthful "city of the world" is captured in the work of journalist Joseph Roth, author John le Carré and psychiatrist and novelist Alfred Döblin.
Destination: Washington, D.C. Destination: Washington, D.C.
Our famously divided capital has produced novels about white people in power and novels about everyone else. Explore the best of both worlds with Henry Adams and George Pelecanos.
Destination: Montreal Destination: Montreal
Allow Leonard Cohen and Mordecai Richler to show you Canada's most prized -- and sublimely permissive -- city.
Destination: China Destination: China
To understand the last century of this vast Far Eastern country, look to the moving stories of Lu Xun, a celebrated memoir of the Cultural Revolution and an engaging, concise history.
Destination: Jersey Shore Destination: Jersey Shore
Bruce Springsteen may provide the soundtrack to your boardwalk stroll, but great novels by Richard Ford and Frederick Reiken should keep you company on the beach.
Page 1 of 2  oldest ⇒

Daily Newsletter

Get Salon in your mailbox!