9 Great Authors and the Places That Shaped Them

Vladimir Nabokov: Europe & Western U.S.

 What Shaped Him: When his father was jailed due to political activities, 8-year-old Nabokov brought a butterfly to his father’s cell as a gift, and that was the beginning of a life-long pursuit. As a self-taught lepidopterist, he traveled widely to collect butterflies and even developed a migration theory on Polyommattus blue butterflies that has recently been supported by new research. Butterflies flit their way through his novels; scholars have counted hundreds of mentions in works such as “Lolita” and “Pale Fire.”

Relive the Story: Few know that Nabokov’s most famous and controversial novel, “Lolita,” was written during his annual butterfly-collection trips to the western United States (namely Oregon). Nabokov also took butterfly tours throughout Corsica, Sicily and the Alps. Today, you can see a collection of Nabokov’s butterflies at the Nabokov Museum in St. Petersburg.

Pablo Neruda: Chile

What Shaped Him: A close advisor to President Salvador Allende (father of author Isabel Allende), Neruda led a life steeped in the politics and poetry of his Chilean nation. His famous “Cien sonetos de amor,” or “100 Love Sonnets,” evoke numerous landscapes from across his home country — like the snow-capped volcanoes of the Frontera region where Neruda grew up and the sea views he enjoyed from his home on Isla Negra. In 1971, Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature “for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent’s destiny and dreams.”

Relive the Story: In 1947, Neruda was forced underground in his own country due to his protests against the government’s policies. Visit the port city of Valparaiso, where Neruda hid in the basements of various friends and admirers for nearly two years. His former home on Isla Negra is open and available to the public, and houses items such as the tuxedo he wore to accept his Nobel Prize.

Ernest Hemingway: Madrid, Spain

What Shaped Him: Hemingway had a well-known love affair with the city of Madrid. Born in Oak Park, Illinois — a place he described as having “wide lawns and narrow minds” — Hemingway first traveled to Madrid in 1932 to research bullfighting, which plays a significant role in his novel “The Sun Also Rises.” Madrid was also where he wrote his nonfiction work “Death in the Afternoon.”

Relive the Story: Travelers can wander in Hemingway’s footsteps through a maze of cafes, bars and bullrings in Madrid. Start with a visit to Plaza de Los Toros de Las Ventas, considered to be the home of bullfighting in Spain. Afterward, you might need a drink from Botin, a restaurant that dates back to 1725 and another frequent Hemingway haunt.

Margaret Atwood: Northern Quebec

What Shaped Her: Time spent in the backwoods of Northern Quebec with her father (a forest entomologist) helped to foster Atwood’s admiration for the wilderness. While her most notable works (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Oryx and Crake”) are set in a dystopian time and place, her fixation on nature is apparent in earlier works such as “Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature,” which is still taught as a key work in Canadian identity. Atwood’s collection of poems, “The Circle Game,” pits themes such as games, literature and love against the instability of nature.

Relive the Story: To experience the same nature that permeates much of Atwood’s writing, spend some time in Nord-du-Quebec and envelop yourself in the bird calls and towering pines that she currently works to conserve. Visit BonjourQuebec for itinerary ideas.

Alexander McCall Smith: Botswana

What Shaped Him: Born in what is now Zimbabwe, McCall Smith became a law professor in Scotland and returned to Africa to set up a new law school at the University of Botswana. Lovestruck with the country of Botswana, McCall Smith used it as the setting for his wildly popular series of mystery novels, “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.”

Relive the Story: The fictitious agency is located in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. The villages of Mochudi and Molepolole are also featured in the novels. The Orphan Farm in the books exists, though not under that name. A TV show based on the series was produced by HBO and filmed on location in Botswana — the first major television or film production to do so — but it only lasted one season. While on holiday here, venture on a safari through the Okavango Delta; it’s a region that McCall Smith himself enjoys visiting.

Agatha Christie: Istanbul, Turkey

What Shaped Her: Born in 1890 in southwest England, Christie moved to France for schooling and vacationed often in Cairo. In 1922, Christie took a world tour with her husband, which included a stop in Waikiki where they were among the first Brits to surf standing up. In 1931, Christie was stranded on an Orient Express train for 24 hours due to flooding. A few fellow passengers served as inspiration for characters in one of her most famous novels, “Murder on the Orient Express,” published three years later.

Relive the Story: Christie wrote “Murder on the Orient Express” during a stay at the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey. You can stay in the same room where she slept — ask for room 411, the Agatha Christie suite. For a taste of what inspired Christie, you can ride the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, an ultra-luxe train that travels routes across Europe.