Do Write Immediately: Poets' Love Letters, Southbank Centre

'you shall acknowledge the truth of what I again promise & vow, that no other in word or deed shall ever hold the place in my affection which is & shall be most sacred to you, till I am nothing.'

- Lord Byron to Lady Caroline Lamb, August 1812

Poets have been attempting to encapsulate the ecstasy and despair of love since poetry began. What better way to explore the definition of love than in the written words of poets themselves?

Love letters between Lord Byron and Lady Caroline are among the readings at Do Write Immediately: Poets' Love Letters, part of Southbank Centre's Festival of Love and Poetry International Festival. 

The romance will be brought to life by the impressive acting talents set to read: Oliver-winning acting legend Dame Harriet Walter, who will  be drawing very strongly from real life, as she reads alongside her husband, actor Guy Paul;  Ben Lamb, a familiar from Hollywood hit Divergent and the BBC's White Queen; stage and screen star Susannah Fielding, who recently impressed in the Almeida's American Psycho; Midsummer Murder's Jason Hughes and many more. 

Their subject matter spans from the letters of Byron, Robert Browning, Keats and Emily Dickinson. If this isn't enough to for your inner soppy romantic,  one of Dylan Thomas's last letters to his wife will likely have you welling up. 

Lasting approximately 75 minutes, the performance gives a peek into the passionate world of the past, showing heartbreak and heat. While Do Write Immediately is only one night, the Festival of Love lasts until the end of August, and is dedicated to exploring the complexity of relationships in every form.