VERONA, ITALY - An aspiring poet in search of true love. A student who has found it. And a young woman on the cusp of a major life change.
All three confided their true hearts to Juliet, writing to Shakespeare's fictional heroine seeking consolation, encouragement and friendship. The three women were honored Sunday, with awards for the best letters of the past 12 months.
For decades, real-life volunteers have been responding to spontaneous entreaties from the lovelorn. But after the release of last year's film "Letters to Juliet," a fictional story of a young love lost, letters to Juliet have skyrocketed to 100 a day, nearing 40,000 a year, stretching the resources of the Juliet Club that responds to each and every missive.
Sarah George, 21, of London, one of the winners, said she found in Juliet a confidant who would not heap scorn on her belief in romantic love.
"My friends are very practical," said the philosophy student, whose dream is to become a poet. "I never felt I could completely open up to my friends. But Juliet, she is the epitome of love."
Winning the prize, however, was fraught with complications for Beth Gillespie, 28, of New York. Her letter was meant as an "anonymous" treatise.
Winning, she said, "is my worst nightmare," because it exposes her very private feelings to the world. "At the same time, it is an honor."
In her letter, she sought reassurance for a decision to quit her job in the fashion industry and move to Spain for a year to teach English, learn Spanish, and perhaps re-ignite in Europe an old romance, fondly remembered.
