Whether you have love or not, our cultural guide to romance is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Help bring a lover closer or remember those you've loved and lost
Cinema
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Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw in Love Story
Love Story (1970) – When Harvard students from opposite sides of the tracks fight for love, a sentimental tearjerker is born. Criticized by some for its sappy side, don’t apologize if it’s one of your favourites because “love, love means never having to say you're sorry.”
An Affair to Remember (1957) – Leaving it all up to fate is a dangerous gamble, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Both involved with other people, Nicky and Terry can't help but fall for each other. They decide to reunite six months later on top of the Empire state building but fate has other plans for them in this timeless love story.
When Harry Met Sally (1989) – A true-to-life story story in which romance must wait. It takes Harry and Sally years before they realize the true potential of their friendship. Filled with broken hearts, false starts, and other people's weddings, this film is great for those who appreciate romantic comedies for both distinct aspects of the genre.
The Last Tango in Paris (1972) – A great emotional experience starring Marlon Brando in his heyday, romancing women with tango dancing and butter and a classic European art movie of the 1970s.
Room with a View (1985) – Watch it today and blush to have ever smirked at the cliché. Moving, amusing, swooningly romantic and socially ferocious, it's nothing less than a full-frontal (in every way) assault on your soul.
Broken Embraces (2009) – It's a colourfully romantic and tragic thriller by Pedro Almodovar. A man writes, lives, and loves in darkness. Forced to revisit his past when a mysterious man comes into his life, he is taken back to a troubled film and his stormy affair with a ravishing actress.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) – For all her fancy clothes and parties and beneath the facade of her Upper East Side lifestyle, effervescent socialite Holly Golightly is lonely. This sentimental, lighthearted, dreamy romance about a beautiful party girl was a huge hit in the 1960s and remains one today.
Amelie (2001) – One woman decides to change the world by changing the lives of the people she knows in this charming and romantic fantasy from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. It’s a Parisian daydream with a lot of love at first sight.
In the Mood for Love (2000) – A stylistic masterpiece for so many reasons but the most obvious is its sheer beauty. Wong Kar-Wai's camera immortalizes everything in frame, from cigarette smoke and droplets of rain to noodle steam on the grill of a small metal fan.
Il Postino (1994) – On an island off the coast of Italy, a young postman's world is changed when he learns he's delivering letters to the exiled poet Pablo Neruda. The poet and mailman develop a true friendship, while the postman learns to love poetry and uses this to woo the local beauty.
Like Water for Chocolate (1992) – Like Water for Chocolate is a sensuous fable of a young Mexican woman's tortured life spent under a domineering mother. Tita unlocks her sensual side through food and cooking, which gives her access to her forbidden lover. Based on the novel by Laura Esquivel, this film brought Mexican movie-making to the rest of the world.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – The remarkable tale of a boy and his life on the streets of India searching for the woman he loved and lost. A drama, romance, adventure, and story of survival and social injustice, it tugs at your heartstrings and stimulates your mind. Its spectacular soundtrack that does the same.
High Art (1998) – A lesbian romance develops when a junior staffer at a photo magazine falls for a well-known photographer who left the business because of heroin addiction. It's a story of ambition, sacrifice, seduction, and everything else that leads to and away from love.
Annie Hall (1977) – A bittersweet romantic comedy of contemporary love and urban relationships, the film traces the course of Alvy and Annie's rocky relationship from their first meeting. It serves as an interesting historical document about love in the 1970s and it is certainly one of Woody Allen's New York masterpieces.
Say Anything (1989) – Not only is this one of the best expressions of love on film. After being spoofed by countless TV shows and movies, it has now reached iconic status. An unabashedly romantic display of affection, you’ll be smitten within seconds.
Dirty Dancing (1987) – She might be daddy's little girl, but Baby can't resist stepping into the shoes of a professional dancer and unexpectedly falling in love. The object of her affection? A free-spirited dance instructor who has all the right moves. It is safe to say that this might be everyone’s guilty pleasure!
Titanic (1997) – A buried tale of love, bravery, treasure, and treachery, hidden by time and tragedy, awaits a team searching for the wreckage of the Titanic. A beautiful socialite falls for a penniless artist on the decks of the ill-fated luxury liner.
Dr. Zhivago (1965) – Illicit lovers fight to stay together during the turbulent years of the Russian Revolution. It's desperate times for Russians from all walks of life. Zhivago does what he can to keep the fragile threads of his life intact, but fate plays a hand, and in the end even Zhivago must go where destiny leads.
Casablanca (1942) – The recipe for a perfect romance: Take one part war-torn Europe, add a torrid romance in Paris, sprinkle in some Humphrey Bogart and a dash of Ingrid Bergman, whisk together and pour into a Moroccan nightclub. Let it simmer until an awkward love triangle develops and someone must ultimately sacrifice their own happiness for love. Top it off with one of the most iconic movie lines of all time and voila ... it's Casablanca.
Books
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë – An otherworldly bond develops between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, an orphaned boy her father brings home after a trip into town. When the bond is broken by Cathy's marriage, Heathcliff's revenge leads to death and despair.
The Lover by Marguerite Duras – In this sad, cool, and short novel, Duras tells the largely autobiographical story of a 15-year-old European girl's affair with an older Chinese man in French Indochina during the 1930s.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell – Considered one of the great American novels, Gone with the Wind is a sprawling story of love and loss set pre, post, and during the American Civil War. The beautifully crafted chapters make this more than a fluffy romance novel.
Layla and Majnun by Nizami – A classical Arabic story of star-crossed lovers. The text is a prose rendition of Nizami's 12th-century poetic masterpiece. He reshapes the legend of Majnun, the quintessential romantic fool, into a tale of the ideal lover.
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez – One of the great classics of the Spanish language, this is the story of a man who waits fifty-one years, nine months, and four days to be with the woman he loves.
The Secret Lives of People in Love: Stories by Simon Van Booy – These short stories, set in Kentucky, New York, Paris, Rome, and Greece, are a perfect synthesis of emotional intensity and atmosphere. Love, loss, human contact, and isolation are Van Booy's themes.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – A young architect is unwilling to sacrifice his artistic vision in work and life, including in his passionate and somewhat brutal love affair with socialite Dominique. Published in 1943, Rand's first novel left readers speechless and continues to do so today.
Anthropology of an American Girl by Hilary Thayer Hamann – This book explores the sexual and intellectual awakenings of a young American woman at the cusp of the 1980s and her struggles in a time of limitations and possibilities, tragedies and ecstasies.
Poetry
Shakespeare's sonnet 116
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda – Veinte poemas was controversial for its eroticism, especially considering its author's very young age. Beautifully written, the poems embrace love, passion, intensity, and joy.
Shakespeare's Sonnets – While not all of Shakespeare's sonnets are a celebration love (some are political and some lament the loss of youth), the dominate theme is love. In Elizabethan England, the sonnet was seen as love poetry's perfect form. Sonnet 18, or "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is perhaps Shakespeare's most famous, but other shining examples include: Sonnet 116, or "Let me not to the marriage of true minds / admit impediments," and Sonnet 130, or "My mistresses eyes are nothing like the sun."
Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning – A collection of 44 love sonnets that largely chronicle the period leading up to her marriage to Robert Browning. The collection was highly acclaimed during the poet's lifetime and it remains so today. Special mention for sonnet #43.
"Love's Philosophy" by Percy Bysshe Shelley – One of the major players in the Romantic movement, Shelley's works are regarded among the finest lyric poems in the English language. His stormy personal life, which included eloping with Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin) while he was still married to his first wife, lends credence to the romantic themes in his works.
"Stanzas For Music" by Lord Byron – A figure of love to countless young women in the early 19th century, Byron was at one time England's most notorious Romantic poet. After countless love affairs and dark dealings, Byron left England for Greece, where he died during the Greek War of Independence. Another of Byron's famous love poems is "She Walks in Beauty."
"Bright Star" by John Keats – Keats died at only 25 after a long battle with tuberculosis, but in his short life, he managed to write some of the world's most beautiful poems, including "Bright Star," which is one of his most famous love sonnets.
"Gita Govinda" by Jayadeva – Considered to be among the finest examples of Sanskrit poetry, it is the most popular and influential poem to emerge from medieval India.
"Wonderous Moment" by Alexander Pushkin – While Bryon, Shelley, and Keats were busy in England composing verse dedicated to love, Pushkin was doing the same in Russia, creating a style that was entirely new in Russian poetry and literature.
History/Philosophy
Love Letters of Great Men by John C. Kirkwood – When the words do not come easily, let others do the work for you. Compiled by John C. Kirkwood, the book includes letters from Keats, Byron, Ovid, Lewis Carroll, Voltaire, Napoleon, and Mozart.
Works of Love by Soren Kierkegaard – A profound examination of the human heart in which the great philosopher conducts the reader into the inmost secrets of a higher love (agape) as opposed to romantic love (eros).
About Love: Reinventing Romance for Our Times by Robert C. Solomon – A refreshing and engaging study of romantic love, which posits that true love can only exist between equals.
Ars Amatoria (Art of Love) by Ovid – Ovid's erotic and instructional poem in three books is a guide to seduction in three areas: how and where to find suitable women and men, how to seduce them, and how to keep them from being stolen.
Why We Need Love edited by Simon Van Booy – It's pretty self-explanatory. Simon Van Booy oversees a text that seeks to answer the question with the help of some big names, including Shakespeare, Chaucer, Yeats, Chagall, Anais Nin, and more.
Photography
From Chris Craymer's Romance
Romance by Chris Craymer – Craymer captures the special, raw moments of relationships by enlisting the help of real-life couples who have a strong sense of personal style and individuality. Their love shines through in each beautiful photo.
Sentimental Journey by Nobuyoshi Araki – This book has two parts: “Sentimental Journey” includes photos of Araki’s honeymoon with his wife Yoko and “Winter Journey” is a photo diary of Yoko’s final months before passing away in January of 1990.
The Ballad of Sexual Dependency by Nan Goldin – A visual diary of Nan’s life and friends that chronicles the struggle for intimacy in love, life, and sex in grainy, intimate shots.
The World's Most Romantic Cities...in my eyes
Love is in the air, but it's especially noticeable in these cities around the world. Let the atmosphere do all the work and then watch love blossom. And before it can be said, this list is not the last word in romance. Love can grow just about anywhere, so tell us where you think you've found it.
We hesitate to say that there is one perfect city for romance, but if there were, Paris would be a leading contender. Paris truly is a city for lovers. For Parisians, romance isn't confined to one day a year, it's a way of life. With stunning views, spectacular architecture—the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame—world-renowned restaurants, cute cafes, gorgeous wines from all over France, couples in love as far as the eye can see, and access to the most impressive art collections in the world, Paris has all the trappings for romance. Every great love affair requires time in Paris. Make sure to give each other the chance to say, "We'll always have Paris."
Bathing in warm Mediterranean sunshine with a kaleidoscope of colours and sensations, Sardinia offers a unique magical atmosphere for couples.
Lake Como, ringed with beautiful villas and resort villages, has long been a romantic travel destination. Bellagio, known as the pearl of the lake, is one of the most romantic villages. Surrounded by hills and mountains, Lake Como is in the Italian Lakes District near Switzerland. For a romantic view of the lake and alps, take the funicular from Como town to the village of Brunate.
"I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed; At first there blows a gentle breeze And the leaves on the trees Softly flutter or sway; Out there, far away, The bells of water carriers incessantly ring; I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed. I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed; Then suddenly birds fly by, Flocks of birds, high up, in a hue and cry While nets are drawn in the fishing grounds And a woman's feet begin to dabble in the water. I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed. I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed. The Grand Bazaar is serene and cool, A hubbub at the hub of the market, Mosque yards are brimful of pigeons, At the docks while hammers bang and clang Spring winds bear the smell of sweat; I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed. I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed; Still giddy since bygone bacchanals, A seaside mansion with dingy boathouses is fast asleep, Amid the din and drone of southern winds, reposed, I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed. I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed. Now a dainty girl walks by on the sidewalk: Cusswords, tunes and songs, malapert remarks; Something falls on the ground out of her hand, It's a rose I guess. I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed. I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed; A bird flutters round your skirt; I know your brow is moist with sweat And your lips are wet. A silver moon rises beyond the pine trees: I can sense it all in your heart's throbbing. I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed."
Agra the city is not remarkably romantic, but it does happen to be home to one of the world's most romantic places. The Taj Mahal is India's monument to love. It is also the country's most famous architectural wonder. Built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the Taj Mahal is a tomb dedicated to his beloved third wife, empress Mumtaz Mahal. Her body, along with that of the emperor, is entombed inside the monument. Couples from around the world journey to the Taj Mahal to see what love (and 20,000 laborers working for 22 years) can build.
Prague in the last few years has shown a huge surge in the number of tourists visiting the city, and it has now become one of Europe’s most romantic city break destinations. Its architecture is noticeably diverse and much of it was miraculously undamaged by World War II. Thus, intriguing architectural details and façades can be found on every corner.
Some of the best views over Prague are from the famous Charles Bridge. Built in the 14th Century and lined on both sides with intriguing black statues, it offers splendid views out over the river and up toward the Castle (especially at night when the castle is floodlit). Serving as one of the city's focal points, the bridge always has plenty to amuse, from street performers to students strumming guitars.
The Old Town is full of drinking establishments, cinemas and galleries. The Old Town Square is home to the 500-year-old Astronomical Clock (the figures of the apostles that pop in and out of it on the stroke of each hour are a popular sight with tourists), the Old Town Hall, partly destroyed by the Nazis in 1945, and the lovely Church of St. Nicholas.
Some Quotes & Poetries On Love
Only a powerful soul can offer love.
Only a powerful soul can afford to be humble.
If we are weak, then we become selfish.
...If we are empty, we take, but if we are filled,
we automatically give to all.
That is our nature.
~ Brahma Kumaris, Mt Abu.
They say that birds can swim at night
That the stars at night they fly
They say that love can hope and pray,
And that a smile can silence a cry...
When day is there, it’s in the sunshine that’s created
And in the evening’s possibilities, simply heartwarming
When nighttime is, it’s in the pleasant wanting
Precious is the one who gives, and precious is to hear,
Precious is to smile, and the one who’ll dry your tear.
Precious is to be, precious is to care,
Precious is time, precious is love.
When she looks to him, and he to her
It’s not in the needing to hear explanations
But in the easy talk, and the ease of listening
In the holding of hands, the shared rhythm of a walk
In the natural calm and the spontaneous laughter
It’s in the moment, the simple look, and the smile
Precious is the one who gives, and precious is to hear,
Precious is to smile, and the one who’ll dry your tear.
Precious is to be, precious is to care,
Precious is time, precious is love.
LOVE IS ......
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
It does not seek its own interests,
It is not quick-tempered,
It does not brood over injury,
It does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
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