With February upon us once more, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Whether you celebrate the day, ignore it, or somewhere in between, there’s no denying it’s a huge global day that takes the world by the hand and heart each year.
Here at Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) we love love, so we’ve taken some time to explore love through the lens of literature – we are a literature festival after all.
Classic Love Poetry
Where else to start but with poetry, that classic love language? Poetry and romance go hand in hand; did you know the earliest known romantic poem is around 4,000 years old, dating from the year 2,000 BC.
Called The Love Song of Shu-Sin, the poem was written in Mesopotamia – located in modern day Iraq – and was used in ancient fertility rites.
A bit more recent and a bit closer to home are the six Great Romantics: William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Percy Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Gordon George, Lord Byron. Writing in the 19th century, they’re considered the fathers of modern love poetry, and their verses are still as resonant today as they were when written:
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
(She Walks in Beauty, Lord Byron)
Poetry can be found all around us, especially this month. Head to your local supermarket and browse the Valentine’s cards to set lots of lovely verses, or visit the recordings from BLF 2025 to see contemporary poet John Cooper Clarke recite some of his poetry.
Love Traditions from Around the World
Here in the UK, we give flowers and cards and perhaps take our partner out for a meal. But this isn’t a global standard, and other countries around the world celebrate much differently.
In England it’s traditional to carry your spouse across the threshold once you’re married, but in Sonkarjävi, Finland, they have an entire Wife-Carrying World Championships! Whilst you might think marrying a smaller person is an advantage, be wary: the prize is your partner’s weight in beer.
Indeed, traditions vary so much around the world that not everyone celebrates on 14 February. In Romania, Valentine’s Day falls on 24 February, and they celebrate by picking and exchanging wild flowers, which are dried for four months before being thrown into rivers to ward off bad luck.
Contemporary Writers from Past Festivals
BLF has played host to a great number of romantic writers. As well as John Cooper Clarke appearing in 2025, the 2023 edition of the festival saw a one woman show titled Where is Love performed by theatre facilitator and actor Meave Brannen.
The 2024 festival played host to Ustadh Feraidoon Mojadedi, an academic and community leader from California, who discussed one of the greatest love poets of all time, Mawlana Rumi.
Staff Picks for Valentine’s Day
Here at BLF we’re big readers as you might expect. Here are some of our favourite love stories and romance books.
Hollie, Programme Coordinator: Funny Story by Emily Henry
I prefer to read more traditional love stories. I appreciate books like Wuthering Heights, but most of the time I like to read more straightforward novels where everyone’s happy. I love Funny Story because I love the two main characters, and the book is romantic, lovely, and, as the title suggests, very funny.
Elysia, Junior Programmer: Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
I love how dynamic the book is, and how representative it is. Whilst the book posits the love story is between Frances and Nick, I actually think it’s between Frances and Bobbi, who’re best friends and exes. I love that twist on the reader’s expectations.
Rob, Marketing Manager: 11.22.63 by Stephen King
Picking a Stephen King book may seem an odd choice, especially one that deals with a man travelling back in time to prevent JFK being assassinated, but there’s a subplot of the main character falling in love with someone he meets in the past that’s almost too beautiful to give words to. King writes it with the deftness of a man who’s been in love a long time – as his 55-year marriage evidences!
The programme for BLF 2026 will be announced this spring; sign up to our mailing list to be the first to know.