Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, and what better way to honour the occasion than by diving into some of the most famous and romantic love letters of all time?
From passionate declarations to tender expressions of affection, love letters have been a timeless way to convey the most intimate emotions. Here are 14 famous love letters that will inspire, move, and remind you of the beauty of love.
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- 1. Beethoven to His “Immortal Beloved”
- 2. Johnny Cash to June Carter
- 3. Frida Kahlo to Diego Rivera
- 4. Virginia Woolf to Vita Sackville-West
- 5. Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine
- 6. Jack Kerouac to Joyce Johnson
- 7. Elizabeth Barrett Browning to Robert Browning
- 8. Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas
- 9. Abigail Adams to John Adams
- 10. Simone de Beauvoir to Jean-Paul Sartre
- 11. Heloise to Abelard
- 12. Pablo Neruda to Matilde Urrutia
- 13. Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn
- 14. The Brontë Sisters (Charlotte to Emily)
- More Famous Love Letters
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1. Beethoven to His “Immortal Beloved”
One of the most famous love letters in history, Beethoven’s letter to his “Immortal Beloved” remains shrouded in mystery, with many speculating about the identity of the recipient. The letter, filled with passionate longing, is a testament to Beethoven’s deep emotions, capturing his heartache and devotion.
“My angel, my all, my very self, I am yours. … Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours.”
2. Johnny Cash to June Carter
Johnny Cash’s love for June Carter is legendary, and his letter to her is a reflection of that. In this simple, yet profound note, Cash expresses his admiration and gratitude for her, ultimately describing her as the love of his life.
“How lucky I am to share my life with the greatest woman I ever met. You still fascinate and inspire me. You influence me for the better. You’re the object of my desire, the #1 earthly reason for my existence.”
3. Frida Kahlo to Diego Rivera
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s relationship was full of passion and complexity. Frida’s letter to Diego, written after a painful period of separation, captures her fierce love and longing for him.
“Truth is, so great, that I wouldn’t like to speak, or sleep, or listen, or love. To feel myself trapped, with no fear of blood, outside time and magic, within your own fear, and your great anguish, and within the very beating of your heart. All this madness, if I asked it of you, I know, in your silence, there would be only confusion. I ask you for violence, in the nonsense, and you, you give me grace, your light and your warmth. I’d like to paint you, but there are no colors, because there are so many, in my confusion, the tangible form of my great love.”
Though married to Diego Rivera for most of her live, both Kahlo and her husband had numerous other affairs. She wrote many love letters to her other lovers, as well as Diego, which you can read here:
4. Virginia Woolf to Vita Sackville-West
Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West had a deep and intimate love affair. In her letters to Vita, Woolf beautifully expresses her admiration and love, capturing the intensity of their bond.
“I am reduced to a thing that wants Virginia. I composed a beautiful letter to you in the sleepless nightmare hours of the night, and it has all gone: I just miss you, in a quite simple desperate human way.” – From Sackville-West to Woolf
5. Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine
Napoleon’s letters to his first wife, Josephine, are filled with ardent and impassioned words. In one of his letters, he declares his obsession and deep longing for her, showcasing the intensity of his feelings.
“Away from you, my one and only Josephine, there is no pleasure in life: away from you, the world is a desert in which I am all alone, without even the solace of expressing my feelings. You have robbed me of more than my heart: all my thoughts are about you alone.“
6. Jack Kerouac to Joyce Johnson
The iconic Beat writer, Jack Kerouac, wrote several heartfelt letters to his lover Joyce Johnson, filled with passionate and often vulnerable expressions of love. His letters to Joyce showcase the tenderness that lay beneath his free-spirited exterior.
“I love you, and I don’t know how to explain it. You are my soul.”
7. Elizabeth Barrett Browning to Robert Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s most famous poem, How Do I Love Thee? is one of the greatest and most famous sonnets ever written.
Her love letters to Robert Browning are equally romantic and poetic, and their correspondence is a beautiful story of love between two poets who were destined to be together.
“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.”
8. Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas
Oscar Wilde’s letters to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, are filled with passionate, poetic language. Wilde, known for his wit and humor, also displayed a profound tenderness in his love for Douglas.
“Your sonnet is quite lovely, and it is a marvel that those red rose-leaf lips of yours should be made no less for the madness of music and song than for the madness of kissing. Your slim gilt soul walks between passion and poetry.“
9. Abigail Adams to John Adams
Abigail Adams’ letters to her husband, John Adams, provide a glimpse into the deep connection they shared. During their long periods of separation, Abigail’s letters were a source of comfort and reaffirmation of their devotion.
“I am confident in my love for you, no matter how many miles separate us.”
10. Simone de Beauvoir to Jean-Paul Sartre
Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre had a complex, unconventional relationship, but their love letters reflect the depth of their connection and the intellectual and emotional bond they shared.
“You are my light, my inspiration, and my reason for being.”
11. Heloise to Abelard
Abelard and Heloise were famous intellectuals in 12th century France; he was a philosophy lecturer, and she was an unusually well-educated woman fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. At 19, Heloise fell in love with her tutor, Abelard, which led to a scandal. They had a child, Astrolabe, out of wedlock, and when her uncle found out, he had Abelard assaulted and castrated. Heloise was then forced into a convent, while Abelard was exiled to Brittany, where he lived as a monk.
The medieval love letters between Heloise and Abelard are among the most famous in history. Their correspondence reveals a passionate, forbidden love that transcends time and circumstance.
“Irresolute as I am I still love you, and yet I must hope for nothing. I have renounced life, and stript myself of everything, but I find I neither have nor can renounce my Abelard. Though I have lost my lover I still preserve my love. O vows! O convent! I have not lost my humanity under your inexorable discipline! You have not turned me to marble by changing my habit; my heart is not hardened by my imprisonment; I am still sensible to what has touched me, though, alas! I ought not to be!” Read more here.
12. Pablo Neruda to Matilde Urrutia
Pablo Neruda, one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, wrote beautiful, evocative letters to his lover Matilde Urrutia. These letters reveal the depth of his love, much like his famous poems.
“I love you as one loves the most beautiful thing in the world.”
13. Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn
Though Henry VIII’s letters to Anne Boleyn are often filled with the language of royal duty, they also reveal his deep desire and affection for her. His words show the power of love that can change the course of history. You can see the digitised versions of the letters here or read the letters in full here.
“No more to you at this present, mine own darling, for lack of time, but that I would you were in mine arms, or I in yours, for I think it long since I kissed you.”
14. The Brontë Sisters (Charlotte to Emily)
The Brontë sisters shared a close bond, and their letters reflect the depth of their sibling love. Charlotte’s letters to Emily, in particular, are filled with admiration and affection, offering a glimpse into their close relationship.
“You are my heart, Emily, and I am yours.”
More Famous Love Letters
I hope these famous love letters inspire you this Valentine’s Day and beyond. Let me know if you have any romantic love letters to add to this list in the comments below.
Read next: 14 Books About Female Friendship for Galentine’s Day, 14 Short Love Poems for Valentine’s Day & Beyond, Valentine’s Day Books: 14 Great Love Stories for Romantics and 9 Books About Self-Love for Insight & Empowerment.
More Fantastic Books & Where to Find Them
For more of what to read where, check out my full Travel Books Guide, filled with book recommendations for different destinations, the most beautiful bookstores around the world, tips on how to get the best deals on audiobooks and e-books, as well as more literary travel.
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