Welcome to Interesting Literature, an online library of all that is most interesting and captivating about literature. Here you’ll find fun facts, interesting research into writers and their work, and blog posts which seek to capture the most fascinating facets of the literary world. So pull up a chair at this virtual library of literary wonder, and begin browsing!

About Interesting Literature

Interesting Literature was set up in 2012 by Dr Oliver Tearle, Lecturer in English at Loughborough University and freelance writer. It takes its cue from the likes of the classical author Plutarch, the seventeenth-century antiquarian John Aubrey, and the TV programme QI, among others.

The aim is simple: to uncover the little-known interesting facts about the world of books, and to shine a light on some of the more curious aspects of literature. Looked at in the right way, every novel, play, poem, short story, and author is interesting. We seek to make the study and discovery of literature a little more interesting by bringing only the most curious aspects of a writer and their work to readers, if only as a ‘way in’ to discovering that work.

In 2016, Interesting Literature also became a book, The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers’ Journey Through Curiosities of History, a treasury of 99 miniature histories which contains all sorts of hidden gems from the world of literature, such as the ancient parody of Homer’s Iliad, the surprising identity of England’s first female dramatist, and the bestselling nineteenth-century American novel that predicted radio stations, credit cards, and electronic broadcasting. In 2017 a follow-up book, Britain by the Book: A Curious Tour of Our Literary Landscape, was published by John Murray.

Unless otherwise stated, all posts are written by Dr Oliver Tearle.

The Impact of Interesting Literature

Since it was founded in 2012, this blog has attracted readers from all over the world. It has been featured or cited in, among others, The Guardian, the Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Mental Floss, Psychology Today, and QI, and has been used by various schools and universities around the world. If you’ve found our articles useful at all, please do let us know by contacting us (either at the email address below or on Twitter).

We have over 25,000 subscribers and over 15 million visitors every year – five times as many as the Tower of London, albeit with less impressive buttresses.

Contacting Us

Please note we are not currently accepting offers of guest posts, so do not email us with a pitch; we don’t have time to respond at the moment, alas, but wish you luck with your writing and blogging endeavours.

If you have a query or would like to let us know that you’ve found this blog useful, you can get in touch via the contact page.

All articles © Oliver Tearle 2023 unless otherwise stated.