A Literary Odyssey – Ink & Inspiration in Mayfair & St James’s

Green Park Underground Station, North exit (on the corner of Piccadilly and Stratton Street)

Guided by Fiona-Jane Weston

Walk Times

It was here that Byron awoke to “find myself famous;” and Mrs Dalloway did a spot of window shopping at London’s most exclusive bookshop; and Bertram Wooster sat in the bath “soaping a meditative foot;” and James Bond uttered the immortal words, “shaken not stirred.” And that’s just a taster. This one’s a Literary Superstars Variety Act. It’s a show resplendent with wonders: acts like Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward, Agatha Christie, Evelyn Waugh, Somerset Maugham, Dr Johnson, Nancy Mitford, Patrick Leigh Fermor, and Michael Arlen; let alone Mark Twain, Henry James and Stephen King (hey, it is the 4th of July). Well, you get the idea. And that’s not to mention the special interval acts – The Surprises we call them. Bottom line: this is where London’s Literary Golden Fleece is to be found. And we find it. And gather it.

Our argosy* is captained by star London Walks guide Fiona-Jane. She’s a performance artist as well as a guide, so we’ll crest the foam-flecked waves in style.

*Yes, eliding The Odyssey and the Quest for the Golden Fleece here but it’s a fitting thing to do – attests to how rich and varied in literary (and other matters) these London waters are.