Literature has always been an inspiration to souls around the world. The writers weave marvelous plots to tell tales of diverse tastes that are either passionate or sad or comical or tragic or queer or awing. Whether the plot is complex or simple, in most of the stories, the backdrop plays an unquestioningly crucial role in the progression and conclusion of the plot. The social situation depicted in a setting, its impact on the characters, the ramifications of the same and the resulted actions of the characters guide the story to its climax. These settings can be sometimes beautiful, sometimes dramatic or sometimes uncanny but indeed compelling.
Here are some such deliciously beautiful and unique places where the plots of different novels unfolded triggering vivid imagination in the reader as a parallel action to reading. Make up your mind on which do you like the most so that your next holiday destination can be set sooner than later and you can head to book your flight.
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Colombia
Written by Gabriel García Márquez, the novel with magic realism as its literary fulcrum, is indubitably one of the best scholarly creations. The setting for the plot is an imaginary ‘Macondo’, a metaphorical analogy of Colombia.
2. Palace Walk - Cairo
The Nobel prize winner Naguib Mahfouz, wrote this beautiful novel that has Cairo as its setting. A session with this book will inspire you to make a trip to Egypt as it will tell you that this African nation is way more than just the Pyramids and Pharaohs' stories.
3. A House for Mr. Biswas - Trinidad
Considered as the magnum opus of V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr. Biswas is the story of a simple man. And the story is set in Trinidad.
4. The Shadow Lines - Calcutta
Amitav Ghosh wrote this novel with Calcutta and Dhaka as its prime settings. The plot introduces the readers to the tremulous days of Partition and the resultant Communal riots.
5. The Historian - Romania
Drifting away from the overall grim tone set by the preceding novels, here is Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian which is an attractive piece to read. It dwells on the eternally delicious subject of ‘Dracula’ and it has Romania as its backdrop.
Author : Satarupa Hajra