Novel paintings: How graffiti went literary

Books, art and radical gestures belong together. Literary graffiti combines these elements. Here are ten examples of street art inspired by the written word.

Samuel Beckett in London

US-born graffiti artist Alex Martinez, known as SHINE, created this intense Samuel Beckett portrait. It is located in London’s Blenheim Crescent in Notting Hill. The decay of the wall suits the subject matter.

Virginia Woolf in Guadalajara

This colourful Virginia Woolf mural is in Guadalajara, Mexico. It previously decorated the wall of a Woolf-inspired café. The status of the café is uncertain, but the mural remains a significant addition to the local landscape.

Sylvia Plath in Portland

This Sylvia Plath image is located on Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland. The mural was created by Jane Brewster, a designer and illustrator from New Orleans. The included quote is from Plath’s only novel, The Bell Jar.

Watership Down in Virginia

An old railway building in Virginia was repurposed for graffiti artists after the company vacated the structure. This piece is based on Richard Adams’ Watership Down. Photo © orderlyschism

Maya Angelou in London

Maya Angelou was a poet, novelist, actor, singer and political activist. This mural stands outside Brockley station in south-east London. It features her poem, Life Doesn’t Frighten Me. Photo © Ben Sutherland

Pablo Neruda in Santiago

This portrait of poet and political activist Pablo Neruda is in the Bellavista neighbourhood of Santiago, Chile. Neruda won a Nobel Prize in 1971. He served as a senator for the Communist Party before a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Toni Morrison in Vitoria-Gasteiz

This Toni Morrison mural was located in the Arantzabela-Salburúa neighbourhood of Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country. The mural has since been removed. It captured Morrison in a distinct green palette.

William Blake in Sydney

A street in Surry Hills, Sydney, features a transcription of William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. It is a literal interpretation of literary graffiti.

Emoticon Hamlet in Glasgow

The walls of Glasgow featured these images during street artist Peter Drew’s project, Emoticon Hamlet. UK city councils often maintain strict anti-graffiti policies, making such works temporary.