Sharing passion for great writing
on tours of london's literary places
We believe that our appreciation of a play, a poem or a good book can only be enhanced by knowing about the writers who penned them and the context in which they were written.
And we may add to that appreciation further by standing in the spots where those writers played out episodes of their lives, lives that were often as turbulent, traumatic, adventurous and scandalous as those of the characters and the works they created. That’s the essence of our tours.
We look at how writers grappled with the momentous events of their time and the issues and challenges they faced to do with class, faith, sexuality, race and gender. We also introduce our guests to some wonderful writers whose work has been unjustly neglected or forgotten.
We're eager to share our enthusiasm for literature with fellow bookworms, unconvinced critics, and those looking for inspiration and a ‘way in’. Whether or not you know anything about the writers on a given tour there’ll be loads in it for you.
We hope to meet you soon!
Cindy is an established speaker and guide running tours of Mayfair and St. James’s with a focus on men's and women's fashion. An American by birth, Cindy arrived in London in 1992 to research her PhD on the Romantic poet Letitia Landon and remained to raise a family while all-too-briefly discovering the delights of amateur dramatics. She is now a British citizen, steeped in the history of literary London but she's certain that she doesn't know nearly enough.
“I adore meeting people who come together to share their love of books. I’m also a sucker for the dark secrets of writers.”
A sometime actor, Mike began his career teaching English and drama in secondary schools and it was there where he really learned how to hold the attention of an audience. During his career, he's been a university lecturer, written and directed plays, and founded a training company that took drama and storytelling to the business world. Blending the joys of talking and walking, London Literary Tours is for Mike the latest manifestation of a lifelong passion for literature and performance.
“I love unearthing a wonderful, long-forgotten story about a writer and watching the reactions of people as we tell it to them in the spot where it actually happened.”