To be immortalised with a statue is no little thing, especially when you are not royalty, an activist or some other world mover or shaker. When authors are commemorated with statues, it is not only to honour them, but to ensure that their works endure and different generations are introduced to their timeless words and stories.

Here are some of our favourite statues from all around the world:

1- William Shakespeare – Stratford-upon-Avon. Old Will is one lucky author with lots of statues, busts and memorials all over the place, one the most famous residing in Westminster. We chose the Gower statue in Will’s hometown because he is kept company with statues of some of his most beloved characters, namely Hamlet, Prince Hal, Lady Macbeth and Falstaff. These characters were meant to represent the four pillars of Shakespeare’s creative genius; Philosophy, Tragedy, History, and Comedy”. 

2 - Oscar Wilde lounging on a rock in Dublin – One of the only statues with such flamboyant colours, reflecting the uniqueness of this beloved author.

3 - C.S. Lewis in Belfast – The famous author is opening the wardrobe to step into Narnia.

4 - Dylan Thomas taking a seat in Wales – His musical poetry remains legend.

5 - Hans Christian Andersen spends time with his ugly duckling in New York – Where would we be without our favourite stories; from The Princess and the Pea to The Ugly Duckling, the morals behind his stories are still taught to generation after generation.

6 - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle enjoying the view in Crowborough, East Sussex – Erected in 2001, it is the first statue of the author himself instead of his most famous creation Sherlock Holmes! People came from as far as Japan and the USA for the unveiling of this statue.

7- Victor Hugo in Guernsey – You might be surprised to find this infamous French author in Guernsey, which he called “the rock of hospitality and freedom,” but Hugo spent 15 years on this island while in exile from his home country.

8 - James Joyce jovial in Dublin – Locals have given the life-size statue the nickname of “The prick with the stick,” the Irishman strikes a Chaplin like pose and has a questioning almost bewildered expression on his face, as if asking the question he asked on his death bed, “Does nobody understand?”

9 - Jane Austen got her statue up on the 200^th anniversary of her death in Basingstoke – it’s never too late but it was about time!

10 - Charles Dickens resides in Centennial Park, Sydney. Shockingly, one of only two statues, the other residing in Philadelphia, USA. Reason being Dickens did not want lifelike representations of himself, going so far as to stipulate it in his will. Alas, only England has honoured his wishes.