💌 Love Letters of Great Men: An Evening of Readings & Conversation

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### 💌 Love Letters of Great Men: An Evening of Readings & Conversation

📅 Date: Aug 15
⏰ Time: 5 pm
📍 Location: Vancouver Central Library (L4 Meeting room, number 492)

For centuries, great men have put pen to paper in moments of love, longing, and vulnerability — leaving behind words that still move us today.
In this special evening, we’ll gather to read and discuss a curated selection of history’s most memorable love letters, exploring both their literary beauty and their human honesty.
Our selections will include:

• 1. Napoleon Bonaparte → Joséphine de Beauharnais
• Search: Napoleon's love letters to Josephine
• Famous one starts: "I awake consumed with thoughts of you..."

### 2. Ludwig van Beethoven → “Immortal Beloved”

• Search: Beethoven Immortal Beloved letter
• Written July 6–7, 1812 — begins "My angel, my all, my very self..."

### 3. Oscar Wilde → Lord Alfred Douglas (“Bosie”)

• Search: Oscar Wilde De Profundis (for the long prison letter) or Oscar Wilde love letters to Bosie
• Famous excerpt: "My own boy, your sonnet is quite lovely..."

### 4. John Keats → Fanny Brawne

• Search: John Keats love letters to Fanny Brawne
• Famous one starts: "I cannot exist without you..."

### 5. Mark Twain → Olivia Langdon

• Search: Mark Twain love letters to Olivia Langdon
• Famous line: "I take you for better or worse, without a thought of heaven or hell..."

### 6. Johnny Cash → June Carter Cash

• Search: Johnny Cash letter to June Carter birthday
• Written in 1994 — begins: "Happy Birthday Princess..."

Discussion topics :

• After each, open a short discussion: What strikes you? Romantic ideal or red flag? Would this work in today’s world?
• Compare eras — what’s changed in how we express love? What’s timeless?
• Are emojis like 🍆 and 🍑 the modern version of love letters?

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