Many memories linger in this steamy and sultry city that lies at the southernmost part of the Mississippi River. But among the most eloquent are those of the many literary figures who have roamed its hidden alleyways, cafes, and avenues.

New Orleans, perhaps more than any other American city, vividly displays a mysterious and alluring charm that has proven to be a natural magnet for a diverse collection of writers.

Among the attractions for the literary legends: jazz traditions, Cajun and Creole cuisine, colorful customs, and, of course, Mardi Gras, the annual festival that turns the city upside down with endless parties and celebrations.

Shadows of many popular writers permeate the romantic port city: Anne Rice and her "Vampire Chronicles," John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces," Walker Percy's "The Moviegoer," and Lillian Hellman's play "The Little Foxes," which recounts the life of a well-to-do New Orleans family.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, George Washington Cable, Frances Parkinson Keyes, and Sherwood Anderson also came under the city's spell.

But no writer is more closely associated with the "The City That Care Forgot" than Tennessee Williams, who penned the majority of his most important works while living here. "Summer and Smoke," "The Rose Tattoo," "Vieux Carre," and "A Streetcar Named Desire," his most poignant work, all display both his obsession with and affection for the city.

Exploring the city's literary heritage and haunts is best done by beginning in the French Quarter. Williams sites are found everywhere in this colorful environment, where he lived at a variety of addresses.

"If I can be said to have a home," Williams wrote, "it is in the French Quarter, which has provided me with more material than any other part of the country."

Born in Mississippi and raised in St. Louis, Williams traveled here for creative inspiration, but it was also his desire to escape a past burdened with a series of unhappy memories. He once said that he came to the city "as a migratory bird going in search of a more congenial climate." The city's artistic ambience also provided him with an alluring background for his plays.

Williams worked at a succession of odd jobs during the day to support his writing by night. The rainbow-colored architecture and history of voodoo and pirates soon breathed life into his play "Vieux Carre."

Some key Williams haunts not far from the bustling Cafe Du Monde are marked with plaques: 722 Toulouse, his first address; 632 St. Peter Street, where he is reputed to have been inspired to write "A Streetcar Named Desire" after hearing "that rattletrap of a streetcar that bangs up one old street and down another"; and 1014 Dumaine, where Williams lived following his literary success.

Other Williams haunts include Galatoire's, his favorite restaurant, as well as Antoine's.

The Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street, mentioned in "Camino Real," is another important Williams landmark. He arrived at the Monteleone with his grandfather, the Rev. Walter Dakin, in 1951 and stayed for two weeks. When he left, he found that Mr. Monteleone had taken care of the bill - no doubt as a way of paying honor to the gifted playwright who had immortalized the city in many of his most important works.

In fact, the Hotel Monteleone, designated a Literary Landmark in 1999 by Friends of Libraries U.S.A. and the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library, has catered to a coterie of famous authors - including William Faulkner, who stayed in the hotel to receive the French Legion of Honor award; Truman Capote; Eudora Welty; Sherwood Anderson; Richard Ford;and Winston Groom.

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