UNESCO City of Literature -- Edinburgh

UNESCO City of Literature -- Edinburgh:

"THE American writer Washington Irving, on a visit to Walter Scott in 1817, wrote to his brother: 'It seemed as if the rock and castle assumed a new aspect every time I looked at them; and Arthur's Seat was perfect witchcraft. I don't wonder that anyone residing in Edinburgh should write poetically.'

"For centuries Edinburgh, with her myriad faces, has fascinated writers. Several hundred novels have been set in the city - it is now the fictional crime capital of the world - and three of Britain's best-selling authors Alexander McCall Smith, Ian Rankin and JK Rowling live within close proximity of each other in an Edinburgh suburb.

"Very few other cities have so many literary associations which is why it is so appropriate that Edinburgh should recently have become the first Unesco City of Literature."