As we approach Turkey's first Valentine's Day under lockdown, Aygen and Nazlan discuss whether people will still want to celebrate the day and how they will do it. The Interior Ministry has said that it would exceptionally allow flower deliveries over the weekend, providing a bit of hope for the pandemic-hit florists. Building up to the big day, newspapers give recipes for restaurant-class dinners at home and chatrooms in the popular new app Clubhouse invite singles to meet up. But for Nazlan and Aygen, nothing beats the love letters of the famous and the infamous, from Nazım Hikmet to Herman Hesse.

Special thanks to Geline Fuko Studio (@Fukozrecords) for the music.

References:

Nazım Hikmet: Piraye’ye Mektuplar

Orhan Veli Kanık: Yalnız Seni Arıyorum

Abidin Dino: Sensiz Herşey Renksiz

Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West: Love Letters 

Nizami: Layla and Majnun

Hermann Hesse: Siddharta

Hermann Hesse: Wandering Notes and Sketches

Alexander Pope: Love Letters of Great Man by Ursula Doyle

Nedim: Amor Vincit Omnia by Kemal Sılay

 Dorothy Parker: The Collected Dorothy Parker