Epic Friendships of Literature

February is a fine month for romantics, but who needs a valentine when you've got great friends? Try one of the following epic tales for a reminder that BFFs are always worth celebrating.

Valentines for Galentines

The Color Purple by Alice Walker because friendship is unstoppable. As Walker shows us in this searing novel, when the downtrodden Celie transcends the brutality of her married life by seeking a loving bond with the itinerant singer Shug Avery.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante because female friendship can have a lifelong power, as it does in this multi-book saga of Elena and Lila, two girls from an impoverished neighborhood in Italy who find their lives inextricably intertwined.

Ghost World by Daniel Clowes because aimless cynicism goes better with a friend. Gal pals Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer epitomize 1990s slacker friendships in this cult classic graphic novel. (For a 21st-century update, try Cosplayers by Dash Shaw.)

Bromances

The Epic of Gilgamesh because bros sometimes just gotta bro. The arrogant king Gilgamesh befriends the wild man Enkidu in this 4,000-year-old tale, but—in a scene that will be familiar to fans of Hollywood buddy pictures, or Marvel's The Avengers—the two become pals only after an epic wrestling match. (Try the graphic novel version for added comedic flair, courtesy of translator Kent H. Dixon and his son, cartoonist Kevin Dixon.)Epic:

Don Quixote by Cervantes because when your friend tells you he's a knight, you go with the flow. Quixote enlists his humble neighbor Sancho Panza as squire in this 16th century Spanish classic, but from the start of their quest it's hilariously unclear who is the genius leader and who the fool. (The graphic novel by British cartoonist Rob Davis captures the story's zest, but for the full treatment, try the 2003 translation by Edith Grossman or the 2011 version by Cervantes scholar Thomas A. Lathrop.)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle because every eccentric sleuth needs an audience to applaud his brilliant deductions. The bonhomie between Sherlock Holmes and his dogged companion James Watson in these short mysteries has become the template for countless successors in other genres (Doctor Who, anyone?).

Fantastic friends (and where to find them)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien because if a true friend in New York City is someone who drives you to the airport, how much better than that is the hobbit Sam Gamgee, who loyally guides his friend Frodo Baggins into the very depths of Mordor?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling because everyone needs a posse at school to watch your back, especially if you've been marked for death by the Dark Lord. The bond between Harry Potter and his pals Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger frays but never breaks in their seven-book saga.

The one with the group of friends

The Group by Mary McCarthy because long before Rachel and her pals met up for coffee at Central Perk, this 1963 novel enthralled readers with the story of eight young Vassar College graduates making their way in the world. (For a gender flip, try 2015's A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, which follows four men from college to new lives in New York.)

What epic friendships do you love from literature?