Madame Bovary C'est Moi: The Great Characters Of Literature And Where They Came From

The struggles and inspirations that gave birth to our great writers' most memorable creations.

A delightful compendium of wit and information, this book takes us on a casual stroll through literary history as the world's most successful writers sought just the right name, or just the right tone, or just the right prop, for the hero or heroine of their works.

Was Tolstoy's Anna Karenina based on a real person? Under what circumstances did JRR Tolkien conceive of a "hobbit"?

In this charming collection of anecdotes, we are taken to the very heart of the mystery of literary creation.