What’s a Fictional Love Story You’ll Never Forget?

Novels, poetry, plays and short stories about love have existed for as long as we’ve had novels, poetry, plays and short stories. In its latest project, The Atlantic’s books team set out to capture the English language’s 50 most unforgettable love stories. They spoke with scholars, librarians, critics, authors and romance bookshop owners to hear their top picks. The list begins with Philip Sidney’s sonnets “Astrophil and Stella” from 1591 and ends with 2024’s Lambda Literary Award winning novel “The Safekeep” by Yael van der Wouden. Some of the installments were seminal for the romance genre; for others, how romantic they truly are is the subject of debate. We’ll talk with two of the Atlantic’s Books editors about how certain love stories stand the test of time, and we’ll speak with an author about what it takes to craft an “unforgettable” love story.

Guests:

Emma Sarappo, senior associate editor, The Atlantic

Boris Kachka, senior editor, The Atlantic

Nicole Dennis-Benn, author, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Patsy”, associate professor in creative writing, Bryn Mawr College, new novel “Black Gold” will be published in January 2027 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices