Instagram and literature might initially seem like unlikely bedfellows. But the same was said of Twitter, and the manner in which flash fiction has caught on has had bookish Tweeters rather pointedly showing naysayers the door. Literature, and the love for it, is in a constant state of flux, prone to fads and seasonal successes, with the most poignant literature only coming to the fore posthumously. We take a look at Instagram to see how literature enthusiasts have manifested their passion for the written word, and for storytelling, in such a visual medium.
While we wish that some of the Buzzfeed-created Instagram accounts actually existed – like the hilarious list of Instagram accounts of famous writers or ‘If Harry Potter Had Instagram’ - Homegrown ploughed through a barrage of some very emotional poetry (in painfully stylized text) to unearth some of the most interesting Instagram accounts for literature enthusiasts and book lovers. We couldn’t help but realise that we do wish there were more book-related Instagram communities dedicated to literature closer home, though.
Here’s what we found:
1. @parisreview
Followers: 56,678
The esteemed Paris Review, a quarterly literary magazine founded in 1953, treats us to a stream that is a sheer delight. Scrolling down, you get a blast of monochrome like a breath of fresh air on Instagram. Mostly photographs of excerpts and poems, it is dotted with interesting photographs of writers, referencing an interview in an issue of the magazine.
HG loves:
The sepia-toned photograph of Mario Vargas Llosa and Julio Cortázar at UNESCO, Athens, and the B&W referring to Murakami’s jazz club, Peter Cat.
Followers: 3, 349
If #bookporn had as much of a following as #foodporn, this account would be the torchbearer for it, with a range of book events, illustrations, some merchandise and a whole lot of half-read, open books.
HG loves:
How much the account interacts with the readers, and the variety of things on display.
3. @bookriot
Followers: 2, 971
Book Riot has a massive following as a book community, a for profit venture that practises charity. The photostream showcases a whole bunch of different book-related events, covers and a lot of happy readers.
HG loves:
The photographs of the paper dresses and the scattered Harry Potter references like Ministry of Magic sign on the pot and the Gryffindor scarf.
4. @bookishhq
Followers: 1,592
This handle seems to have its moods, alternating between flurries of black and white photographs and ones with colour. More than book events, it shows people’s ‘reading faces’ in public spaces, a refreshing change from the run-of-the-mill.
HG loves:
the photographs of the readers in transit, and is intrigued by the dogs of Shake video.
Followers: 139, 859
This handle, ridiculously modest in his introduction, features a lot of typewriter poetry and his Blooming of Madness series, which is actually really engrossing. Short and captivating, they seem like little interpretations from anecdotes in his life. All the poems are typed on hemp paper and typed in black ink.
HG loves:
His hyperbolic writing, as well as the odd picture of adorable dogs and antique typewriters. Also, how is his typewritten work always so well-aligned?
6. @writergram
Followers: 19, 580
This must be where writers go in their darkest moments when their writing seems worthless. Some cheesy posts are bound to make you giggle, but this stream surprises you with interesting references from time to time.
HG loves: the ‘writer problems’ kind of approach and the odd Perks of Being a Wallflower reference.
Followers: 692
T. McCulloch’s handle is very interesting because of its personal touches, with the cups of coffee, skateboards and his own illustrations. Primarily a typewriter poetry stream, his poetry is very short and some of it really strikes a chord.
HG loves:
Excerpts from his ‘Cigarette Stories’ book and how he seamlessly blends text photographs with his hand-drawn illustrations.
8. @roald_dahl
Followers: 2,495
We’re actually quite surprised at the modest following for Roald Dahl’s official account, full of nostalgia-inducing quotes and excerpts from Roald Dahl classics as well as photos from the Roald Dahl HQ.
HG loves:
the pictures of the ‘Wonka’ gate and the Roald-Dahl themed coffee mugs.
Followers: 21, 133
This stream reflects the 79-year old literary legacy behind the company, with the ubiquitous friendly-penguin logo standing out from the covers in the photographs. Childhood favourites like Jacqueline Wilson and Penguin classic covers make it all seem very familiar.
HG loves:
the nostalgia and the occasional photographs of the authors dropping in at the office.
10. @riojones7
Followers: 6, 286
This has got to be the most creative handle we came across, combining visual art with poetry, in black typewriter font. Heavily influenced by the Mexican Zapotec culture, his poetry pays particular attention to form and the stream is very engrossing. Within its first two months, it gained a 4k strong loyalist following.
HG loves:
photographs of the singed parchment-like paper in the outdoors.
11. @byitscover
Followers: 123
It’s a pity this handle hasn’t been updated enough, because we actually really liked the concept. Wholly unabashed about judging a book by its cover, the handle accompanies its photographs of book covers with book reviews.
HG loves: the inclusion of The Lover’s Dictionary and The Fault In Our Stars (before the movie saw the light of day).
12. @huffpostbooks
Following: 11, 399
Definitely one of the livelier streams, the handle’s stream includes celebrity appearances, book covers by the dozen and a whole lot of book-related humour.
HG loves: the photograph of the guy with a typewriter on the NYC highline who’ll write stories for you if you wait, and the one of the editor interviewing Grumpy Cat.
Honourable Hashtags Worth Mentioning Here:
13. #Bookstagram
This hashtag has its own cult following, with proud bookstagrammers post their book-related photos, creating fun tags, book structures and conducting read-a-thons. With challenges like #30daysofbookstagram, Instagrammers get to combine books and photograph in their streams. Check out other bookish hashtags.
14. #POPBOOKS
PopSugar Love’s call for readers to share what they’re reading, resulted in people spanning demographics sending in photos of a variety of books.
Words: Aditi Dharmadhikari