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Edinburgh, Scotland - The Scottish capital has an outstanding reputation with literature. It was the first city to become a UNESCO City of Literature in 2004.

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Melbourne, Australia - Melbourne joined the network in 2008. The city has a bustling publishing industry, as well as a host of talented writers.

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Iowa City, United States - Iowa City has a rich literary history. It is the home of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

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Dublin, Ireland - The Trinity College Library is a monumental testament to Dublin’s literary history.

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Reykjavík, Iceland - The Icelandic capital has its own literary festival. It has taken place every two years since 1985.

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Norwich, England - Norwich has seen many literary firsts. Here, the ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ was published in 1395. It was the first English-language book written by a woman.

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Kraków, Poland - Kraków is one of the oldest cities in Poland. It has been the home of two Polish Nobel laureates in literature: Wisława Szymborska and Czesław Miłosz.

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Heidelberg, Germany - Heidelberg was once the center of the Romantic era, which had huge influence over German literature.

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Dunedin, New Zealand - Dunedin was made a City of Literature in 2014. The city hosts many literary events, like book sales and festivals.

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Granada, Spain - Granada has been the home of legendary literary critics, like Melchor Fernández Almagro and Luis García Montero.

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Prague, Czech Republic - Prague has a storied literary history. It was made a City of Literature in 2014.

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Baghdad, Iraq - From the eighth to the 13th centuries, Baghdad boasted many libraries. It has also housed literary scholars and critics.

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Barcelona, Spain - Barcelona has a cultural history that goes back 2,000 years. The Catalan capital has a rich literary history in both Spanish and Catalan.

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Ljubljana, Slovenia - Ljubljana has a strong literary reputation. It is the setting for books like ‘Veronika Decides to Die’ by Paulo Coelho.

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Lviv, Ukraine - Lviv is well deserving of its UNESCO status. Here, you can visit the Lviv International Literature Festival.

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Montevideo, Uruguay - This city has a sprawling literary tradition. It has been a home to past authors like Horacio Quiroga and Mario Benedetti.

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Nottingham, England - This city has links to famous authors like Lord Byron, as well as Alan Sillitoe and D. H. Lawrence.

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Óbidos, Portugal - This small Portuguese town is a special place for lovers of literature. It is the smallest city on this list.

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Tartu, Estonia - Tartu is widely seen as a leading city for Estonian culture. It has literary festivals such as 'Crazy Tartu.'

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Ulyanovsk, Russia - Ulyanovsk is home to more than 30 bookstores, as well as two influential publishing houses.

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Bucheon, South Korea - This South Korean city has a strong literary reputation. It has a unique content industry, with a noted output of cartoons and webtoons.

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Durban, South Africa - Durban is an outstanding port city. It has been the home of writers like Albert Luthuli and even Mahatma Gandhi.

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Lillehammer, Norway - Lillehammer hosted notable writers throughout the 19th century like Sigrid Undset and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.

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Manchester, England - Manchester has been said to have a radical literary history. It was the meeting place of writers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Manchester Central Library is also home to many iconic works of literature.

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Milan, Italy -

Milan has served as a literary centre for centuries. Here, Alessandro Manzoni wrote his novel ‘I Promessi Sposi,' which is observed to be the manifesto of Italian Romanticism.

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Québec City, Canada - Québec City boasts an outstanding literary reputation in Francophone, Anglophone, and Aboriginal Heritage.

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Seattle, United States - Seattle has been seen as one of America’s most literate cities.

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Seattle, United States - Not only does Seattle have a vibrant literary community, there’s also a revered spoken word scene.

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Utrecht, Netherlands -

Utrecht’s literary history goes back 1,300 years. The Utrecht Psalter is one of the city’s many historical texts.

See also: The most beautiful libraries in the world

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