World Book Day is celebrated in more than 100 countries, with millions of people including teachers, pupils and parents participating in the United Kingdom. One of the main aims of the day is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.
Here in Portsmouth, we are blessed with a rich literary history – and even today, still have some world-class writers who call the city their home.
1. Charles Dickens
If the museum named in his honour hadn't given it away, legendary author Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in February 1812. He went on to write such great novels as Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. More than 200 years ago, Charles Dickens was born in what is The novelist and social critic is considered to be the greatest writer of the Victorian era. His birthplace in Buckland has been turned into a museum, and his birthday is celebrated outside the building every year. There is also a statue of him in Guildhall Sqaure. | Contributed Photo: Other
2. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The creator of Sherlock Holmes opened a medical practice in Southsea in 1882 and while waiting for patients he returned to writing. He actually wrote the first two books – A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four – while living in Elm Grove, Southsea, during the 1880s. One lesser known fact about Conan Doyle is that he was also an excellent footballer, playing in goal for the team that would eventually become Portsmouth Football Club. | Contributed Photo: Other
3. Rudyard Kipling
Further along Southsea, a brisk walk over to Campbell Road will show a blue plaque dedicated to writer Rudyard Kipling, who lived in the city when he was a young boy between 1871 and 1877. Having been born in Bombay, India, he was sent along with his sister back to England to live with a couple in Southsea. Perhaps best known for his war poetry and the Jungle Book, Kipling lost only son, John, in the First World War. | Contributed Photo: Other
4. H.G Wells
Another great writer to have lived in Portsmouth was H.G. Wells, who wrote The War of the Worlds in the late 1890s. He came to Portsmouth for two years but admitted to despising the city, calling it ‘the most unhappy, hopeless period of my life.’ | Contributed Photo: Submitted