London and Literature

The UCL Festival of London and Literature held on Friday 15 June was an occasion that honoured not only the literature that comes out of London, but also the city itself and the ways in which it has influenced and inspired authors for centuries.

The final event of the day saw acclaimed writers and Booker Prize winners Alan Hollinghurst and A. S. Byatt discuss the ways in which it has inspired their own writing.

Led by the very animated head of UCL English, Professor John Mullan, the authors were prompted to discuss the ways in which their personal relationship with London has changed over the years and how their feelings have evolved as they have come to know the city better.

Neither Hollinghurst nor Byatt hail from London, and so they spoke about how they came to know the city first and foremost through the descriptions found in children’s stories, detective novels and through the music that was coming from the capital during their childhood.

Charles Dickens appears to have been hugely influential for both Hollinghurst and Byatt in the shaping of their sense of London before they had a chance to forge a personal relationship with the city. Excerpts from Great Expectations and The Uncommercial Traveller were read, and it became clear that although much has changed, Dickensian London is not far from the bustling metropolis that we know today.

Faced with the question, “What is it about London that makes it simultaneously so adored, fascinating and hated?”, the authors spoke about the city with great affection. The dense history, the greenery of London parks and the diversity of the population all lend uniqueness to London, though the pace of city life can sometimes be oppressive.

They went on to say something which I felt rings very true: that although London, at times, may be just as hellish as it is detailed to be by Dickens, it is also unique in that we may find solitude so easily in such an over-populated metropolis.

It was inspiring to hear these much-admired authors speak so passionately about London and it prompted me to reflect on my own relationship with the city. Growing up in here, it is sometimes easy to miss its finer details, but Hollinghurst and Byatt have inspired me to be more sensitive to the history and grandeur that can be found at every corner in this amazing city.