Literary Road Map of Islington

Celebrate our borough's long, rich heritage of authors, screenwriters, poets and writers who live or work here

Literary Road Map of Islington celebrates our borough’s long, rich heritage of authors, screenwriters, poets and writers who have lived here, and the literary works which have been inspired by or set here.

Search the list below to see the novels, plays and poems which were written about Islington and the authors, such as Andrea Levy (1956-2019), who were born or lived in the borough, or Charles Dickens (1812-1870, who used various locations around Islington in their novels.

Also, look at our interactive map to see the literary connections to your area of Islington. To do this click on ‘Show Layers’, ‘Recreation & Leisure’ and check the ‘Literary Road Map’ box.

 

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  • Auto/biography

Ackerman, Len

In Their Footsteps (2014), And Now They Are Ghosts (2015) and No Place for Angels (2018). He was born in and grew up in Packington Street and has written three books, all set in Islington.

Ackroyd, Peter

1949-

Clerkenwell Tales (2003) and other titles. His stories are set in and around Clerkenwell and in The House of Dr Dee (1993), Dr Dee lives at the site of what is the Clerks’ Well (14-16 Farringdon Lane).

Akala

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire (2019). The BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist, writer and social entrepreneur details his life in Archway and his time at Acland Burghley School in Tufnell Park. [

Bawden, Nina

1925-2012

The Ice House (1983) and other titles. The rail campaigner and children’s author lived in at 22 Noel Road and set The Ice House in Islington.

Bowen, James

1979-

A Street Cat Named Bob (2012). The story of James and his cat Bob was set around Islington Green and Waterstones.

Charlesworth, Kate

Sensible Footware – A Girl’s Guide (2019) The LGBT+ cartoonist and activist lived in Rawstorne Street, Clerkenwell.

Davies, Caitlin

1964-

Bad Girls: A History of Rebels and Renegades (2018). Davies lives in Holloway and has written about Holloway Prison.

Hornby, Nick

1957-

Fever Pitch (1992), High Fidelity (1995), About A Boy (1998) and other titles. Hornby lives in Highbury and sets much of his work around the area.

Hughes, M.V. (Molly)

1866-1956

A London Family 1871-1900 (1946). The educator and writer grew up in Highbury New Park and mentioned it in her autobiographical work.

Irving, Washington

1783-1859

Rip Van Winkle (1819), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820) and other titles. The essayist, biographer and historian lived in Canonbury Tower in the early 19th Century.

Jackson, Mike

Pride (2017) Jackson, contributor to the book and the movie ‘Pride’ was a squatter at 39 Lloyd Baker Street whilst he was Secretary of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners during the 1984/5 Miners’ Strike.

James, Clive

1939-

Falling Towards England (1985) and other titles. Lived in Tufnell Park in “a first floor horror of a room at the high end of Tufnell Park Road” in 1962.