Treading in the footsteps of literary heroes: an autoethnography

Abstract

Literary tourism is an increasingly important market within the field of cultural and heritage tourism. However, it is under-represented in the literature. Still not enough is known about the motivations and experiences of literary tourists. This paper offers an autoethnographic account of a literary tourist trip to Le Café Les Deux Magots , a place associated with the writers and philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. The paper discusses the motivations for becoming a literary pilgrim, and describes the meaning attached to the place visited. It underscores the desire for connection with place and reflects on how this is achieved.