Literary Oxford

Oxford’s literary heritage is second to none. Not only has everyone from Chaucer to Philip Pullman, R.F. Kuang and Simon Mason chosen it as the ideal location for tales and stories, but the number of writers who have either passed through, studied or lived here is legion.  

This packed tour, followed by lunch, will focus on the bookish history of the city, visiting locations used as story settings and recounting stories from the lives of its writers through the ages. It will cover a number of genres, from fantasy to detective fiction by way of poetry. Shakespeare and Samuel Johnson may make appearances, Dorothy L. Sayers and Vera Brittain too, whilst Graham Greene battles against boredom and Lewis Carroll exercises his impish sense of humour and Evelyn Waugh gets his own back on his unloved History tutor.

It will also tell the story of Oxford’s libraries, of the iconic Oxford English Dictionary, and reflect on the surprisingly short but bountiful history of the Oxford University English Department, the spawning ground for geniuses such as Tolkien and Lewis. 

Please note: this event will close to enrolments at 23:59 on 12 May 2027.