 Grave sites may not be at the top of everyone's attraction list, but for some, visiting the tombs of famous authors is one way to connect with them. If you too are a true lover of literature, just like me, chances are that you will be keen to visit the burial sites of your most famous and cherished wordsmith. Today, I'm going to take you to one such cemetery in London, which has graves of some very famous authors, and it is none other than the Highgate Cemetery. Highgate Cemetery is a beautiful, calming and nostalgic place to visit and to reminisce about the past, and those who walked these grounds before us. The cemetery was opened in 1839, and there are many well preserved graves, which dates back to the mid-19th century. Because I'm going to walk down these old leafy paths, I'm going to stop at some important tombstones and talk about the souls whose remains were buried here. A visit here means that you can wander through the graves of great writers like George Elliot. We shall be going to her grave towards the end of the video. We also have tombs of writers like the pre-Raphaelite Queen Christina Rosetti right behind me, and Douglas Adam, the author of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Another very interesting figure who is buried here is the lesbian author Radcliffe Hall. Radcliffe Hall was a very interesting woman, openly gay in her time when gay women were believed were not to even exist, she broke boundaries and defied society. Hall is most well known for her controversial novel The Well of Loneliness, which has overt lesbian themes and was banned in both UK and US. It is a groundbreaking world in the world of lesbian writing. She is buried with one of her lovers. The quote on her tomb is from her partner Oona, and I quote, If God choose, I shall but love better after death. Highgate Cemetery is one of London's magnificent seven cemeteries created in the early 1800s when London's central cemeteries became dangerously overcrowded and unsanitary. Typhoid and cholera were rampant and a solution was urgently needed. An act in 1832 paved the way for seven huge picture rescue cemeteries to be created outside the central area of the city. Highgate was third to be created, being opened in 1839 and undoubtedly the most spectacular of all of them. Highgate Cemetery is one of the biggest and the oldest graveyards in London. It is split in two sides, east and west. The most spectacular architectural feature of this cemetery are two beautiful locations, Egyptian Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon. In the Victorian era, people were fascinated by Egypt. It was considered exotic and fashionable. The Egyptian Avenue was originally designed to impress visitors and to exploit the interest of things Egyptian. The Egyptian Avenue led to the Circle of Lebanon. It is a magnificent structure of 20 exciting tombs built around the roots of an ancient sader of Lebanon tree from which the circle gets its name. As you wander through the cemetery, you will see how graves had symbols. One which is quite fascinating is the three steps around the cross which represented faith, hope and charity. They were cornerstones of the Victorian thinking. Among all the famous graves, Highgate is best known for being the final resting place of Karl Marx, the political philosopher. He was born in a middle-class family in Germany and he grew up to study political economy and Hegelian philosophy. In 1849, he moved to London where he remained for the rest of his life. While in England, Marx collaborated with a fellow German, Frederick Engels, with whom he published the Communist Manifesto. This book was the foundation of what became known as the Marxist theory. His political theories including his belief that capitalism would be eventually replaced by socialism following the uprising of the working class have been highly influential by politicians, intellectuals, labour unions and artists across the world. The next grave that I am going to talk about is of the leading novelist of the Victorian era, George Iliad, who was buried here in the Highgate cemetery. Although she was baptized as Marianne Evans, the novelist later married name of Marianne Cross is inscribed on her headstone, below that of her pen name George Iliad. Born in England, Iliad left home after her father's death in 1849 and after travelling throughout Europe, she settled in London. Living and working in literary circles, Iliad met George Henry Lewis, a literary critic and philosopher who encouraged her writing. She used the male name George Iliad to ensure that her writing would be taken seriously by the contemporary publishers, many of whom were often resistance of the female novelist. The two lived together but were shunned by many as George Lewis was already married. After Lewis' death in 1878, Iliad married John Cross. Iliad herself died in 1880 and was buried with George Henry Lewis in his grave at Highgate Cemetery. Her first novel, Adam Beade, was published in 1859 and was followed by Mill on the Flores, Silas Marner, Romola and Daniel Deronda. George Iliad left a strong literary legacy, with Middle March being hailed by many as the most influential novel in the English language. In the common reader, Virginia Woolf described Middle March as one of the few English novels written for grown-up people. George Iliad's novels are noted for their social realism, with heroes that come from outside the society and often have a political emphasis. She depicted rural society as well as some of the difficulties of the small town life such as gossip, ostracism of the unconventional. Outside of novels, Iliad worked as a translator and she also wrote poetry. So that was my small vlog on the Highgate Cemetery, one of the loveliest sights to see in the North London. With winding alleyways among the large number of gravestones, it is a home to the graves of number of notable British writers and authors. It might not seem like an obvious day out, but this cemetery is a quiet, peaceful and relaxed place with truly spectacular scenery. So if you like this video, then please make sure you give it a big fan thumbs up. Also share it with other fellow net aspirants. That's it from my side for this video lecture, I'll meet you very soon in the next video lecture. Till the time we meet next, happy learning, keep loving literature and stay tuned to www.arpetacarvard.com