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This week's question: What books best capture the Twin Cities?

 series landed in the Twin Cities. Every week, the British paper collaborates with a local writer to create "the perfect literary companion" for a new place. 

For the Twin Cities, The Guardian asked local writer 

 to compile a list of local reads. Twin Cities literature, Savage wrote, is "far stranger than its reputation." 

Reading American Cities: Books about the Twin Cities

"Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota"

While "Main Street" is decidedly not a Twin Cities book, it did help put Minnesota literature on the map. The book is a thinly-veiled portrait of Sauk Centre, Minn., published in 1920. In 1930, Lewis became the first American ever to win the Nobel Prize for literature.

• "The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away"

• "I Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory"

Savage's list covers a wide range of local literature, from 1920s Minnesota to the cities' modern immigrant experience. No list is ever complete, but we'd add:

And then there are all the mysteries. Minnesota is a hotbed for mystery writers. Last month, we compiled a list of some of our favorite cases of local intrigue, many of which turn the Twin Cities into a fictional crime scene: 

What's your favorite book set in the Twin Cities?

 Add to the list in the comments below or tell us on Twitter 

Tracy Mumford

Author

The Twin Cities has a rich literary history and a bustling publishing scene. What books capture Minneapolis and St. Paul?

Local reads: Books about the Twin Cities

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