Dear Juliet …

Feb. 14, 2007 — -- Cara Giulietta, Querida Julieta, Chère Juliette, Dear Juliet … so begin the thousands of letters addressed to this renowned "ragazza" received every year at Casa di Giulietta in Verona, Italy.

It seems that no matter the language, literature's most heartbreaking heroine still represents romance, passion, and, above all, tragedy. Six hundred years after their deaths, Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers continue to epitomize undying love, stirring people's emotions and inspiring them to reveal their most intimate, hilarious, touching, and tragic experiences with the most complex human emotion.

For nearly 70 years, people from across the globe have written to Giulietta in search of advice, sympathy, an attentive ear, or as simply a way to express their emotions. This Italian version of "Dear Abby" is so popular that the Verona-based Club di Giulietta (Juliet Club) has established an annual competition. The Cara Giulietta prize is awarded every year on Valentine's Day to the most compelling love letters that found their way to Juliet's doorstep during the previous year.

This year there were two winners of the Cara Giulietta prize. One, Elisabeth from Bergamo, told a tale of unrequited love, dedicating her letter to Paolino, a man she met and fell in love with while on a trip through Turkey. The other, Valeria from Venice, explored the complexities of entering a new relationship after heartbreak. "He bears the weight of my past with me without my asking him to do so. And so I tell myself that two possibilities exist: I can live between the ruins pretending it's the beautiful building I remember or arm myself with all possible strength and rebuild elsewhere. With him."

In her work, "Letters to Juliet," Lise Friedman describes more about the Cara Giulietta prize, the history of Juliet's correspondence, the volunteers responsible for answering these letters, as well as the stories of the people who write them.