For this month's Behind the Issue, we're celebrating The Atlantic's launch of “50 Unforgettable Love Stories,” a new editorial project that highlights stories of romantic love. The list includes works published across more than four centuries—from its earliest selection, Astrophil and Stella by Philip Sidney, published in 1591, to its most recent, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, published in 2024. The list is an effort to name the love stories—novels, of course, but also poetry, plays, and short stories—that are the most enduring.
We'll be joined by two of The Atlantic's Books editors, Boris Kachka and Emma Sarappo, staff writer and critic Lily Meyer, and staff writer Jenisha Watts, for a discussion on the creation of the list and what makes a love story unforgettable.
Moderating the conversation will be Adam Harris. Harris is a podcast host at The Atlantic. He is the author of The State Must Provide: Why America's Colleges Have Always Been Unequal—and How to Set Them Right. Before joining The Atlantic in 2018, Adam was a reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education covering federal higher-education policy and HBCUs.