‘My Love Is Rich and Plentiful’: Barack Obama’s Intimate Letters to College Girlfriend Are Made Public

Washington (CNN) - If you've ever wondered what former President Barack Obama was like when he was younger, Emory University has obtained letters to his then-girlfriend that could reveal more about his youth -- and they will be available to the public later this week.

The nine letters written and sent by Obama to his then-girlfriend Alexandra McNear were obtained by Emory's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, where students or visitors can read them in person by appointment when they become available Friday.

Rosemary Magee, the director of the Rose Library, described them to CNN as "very lyrical letters."

"They reflect the search of meaning of a young man trying to find his place in the world and a sense of identity," she said in a phone interview. "He has aspirations but he also has deep longings in trying to understand the world and himself. They are particularly appropriate for a college campus."

Obama wrote the letters during 1982 to 1984 after transferring during college from California's Occidental College to Columbia University in New York City.

READ MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/politics/obama-letter-1980s-emory-university/index.html