How Knoxville's 'complication and history' inspired acclaimed authors, celebrated stories

A Death in the Family. Suttree. Roots. The Glass Menagerie. The Secret Garden.

They are classics spanning from days gone by to the modern era. Their authors are among the greats: Agee, McCarthy, Haley, Williams, Hodgson Burnett.

The captivating plots, fabled characters and powerful prose made them unique, but one detail bound their stories together in literary history: Knoxville, Tennessee.

Historian Jack Neely said the city is a literary place of sorts, so much so, that he researched and wrote a walking guide that meanders through downtown, Fort Sanders and nearly every corner of Knoxville. These locales served as the backdrops for authors, journalists, playwrights and poets.

"I wanted to write for the people who visit Knoxville to see where these places are, but I also wanted to remind Knoxville that there are these points of interest and also maybe even get kids interested in these books because this is what's set here. You can reach these books and know exactly where they are set," Neely said.