Letters to Juliet, co-authored by sisters Lise and Ceil Friedman, inspired the idea behind “Letters to Juliet” (Summit), starring Amanda Seyfried (“Big Love”), Gael García Bernal (“The Motorcycle Diaries”), and Vanessa Redgrave, which opens May 14.
Since the 1890s, thousands of letters have been sent to Juliet, the female half of the world’s most famous couple, recounting love—lost, found, and remembered. Letters to Juliet (Stewart, Tabori & Chang), co-authored by sisters Lise and Ceil Friedman, captures the story of these letters and the volunteers who have been answering them for decades.
Their 2006 book inspired the idea behind “Letters to Juliet” (Summit), starring Amanda Seyfried (“Big Love”), Gael García Bernal (“The Motorcycle Diaries”), and Vanessa Redgrave, which opens May 14.
Lise Friedman, an adjunct professor at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, has also written First Lessons in Ballet, Break a Leg! The Kids’ Guide to Acting and Stagecraft, and Alvin Ailey Dance Moves. Ceil Friedman is a freelance art historian and translator who lives in Verona, where she has collaborated for several years with Verona’s museums and is the international relations director for the Film Festival della Lessinia.
Letters to Juliet, which Stewart, Tabori & Chang will release in paperback on May 1, includes selected letters, the stories of the various secretaries who have answered Juliet’s mail, and the history behind Shakespeare’s tale and the monuments that fuel the legend.
Reporters wishing to speak with Lise or Ceil Friedman should contact James Devitt, NYU’s Office of Public Affairs, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu.
Editor’s Note:
The Gallatin School of Individualized Study is a small innovative college within New York University. Gallatin gives students the opportunity to design a program of study tailored to their own needs and interests. The key to Gallatin’s educational approach is its close supervision of the student’s course of study by its faculty advisers. Students pursue individual interests by taking courses in the various schools of NYU, engaging in self-directed education through independent studies and participating in experiential learning through internships at New York City’s countless institutions, businesses, and arts organizations. Undergraduates experience a thorough grounding in the history of ideas and great books, and graduate students pursue advanced study in interdisciplinary modes of thought.