Literary cities: for quality urban hierarchy to geography of emotion

Abstract

This article is based on reflections on the relationship between city and literature over the last centuries and at universal scale. The main objective, in this case, is to try a possible urban hierarchy, from the critical to the selection of literary cities UNESCO made. First we present the case of Barcelona, the city studied by the author, to show the essence of a literary city. Subsequently it is shown that large cities, Paris, London and New York are the first literary cities from any point of view. But also some smaller cities reach this level by the quality and dissemination of their work, such as Dublin, Prague and Alexandria. The other levels of the hierarchy are difficult and complex to set up, but concludes that the complexity of views and the depth of feelings that inspire the literature form the basis of the quality that should justify any hierarchy beyond quantities, for they are objectified.