Rayor, Diane J. - Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works

Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works

Author: Diane J. Rayor

Genre: Mythology, Adult, Classics

Pages: 214

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Release Date: March 21, 2026

Format: Paperback

Size (in cm): 21.7 (height) x 14 (width) x 1.1 (depth)

ISBN: 9781108926973

Synopsis:

Sappho, the earliest and most famous Greek woman poet, sang her songs around 600 BCE on the island of Lesbos. Of what survives from the approximately nine papyrus scrolls collected in antiquity, all is translated substantial poems and fragments, including three poems discovered in the last two decades. The power of Sappho's poetry ‒ her direct style, rich imagery, and passion ‒ is apparent even in these remnants. Diane Rayor's translations of Greek poetry are graceful, modern in diction yet faithful to the originals. Sappho's voice is heard in these poems about love, friendship, rivalry, and family. In the introduction and notes, André Lardinois plausibly reconstructs Sappho's life and work, the performance of her songs, and how these fragments survived. This second edition incorporates thirty-two more fragments primarily based on Camillo Neri's 2021 Greek edition and revisions of over seventy fragments.

LGBT Themes:

• Sapphic

Relevant Tags:

Poetry, Classics, Queer, Lesbian, Sapphic, Greece, History, Nonfiction, LGBT, Mythology, Greek Mythology