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If Not, Winter by Sappho

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If Not, Winter by Sappho

In this "gorgeous translation" (The New York Times), one of our most fearless and original poets provides a tantalizing window onto the genius of a woman whose lyric power spans millennia. 

Of the nine books of lyrics the ancient Greek poet Sappho is said to have composed, only one poem has survived complete. The rest are fragments. In this miraculous new translation, acclaimed poet and classicist Anne Carson presents all of Sappho's fragments, in Greek and in English, as if on the ragged scraps of papyrus that preserve them, inviting a thrill of discovery and conjecture that can be described only as electric--or, to use Sappho's words, as "thin fire ... racing under skin." 

"Carson is in many ways [Sappho's] ideal translator.... Her command of language is hones to a perfect edge and her approach to the text, respectful yet imaginative, results in verse that lets Sappho shine forth." --Los Angeles Times

Sappho was a lyric poet from the Greek island of Lesbos, and little is known about her life. Her poetry was known and adored across the ancient world, and she is thought to have lived between 612 and 570 B.C.E. Sappho is most recognized as a symbol of female homosexuality, having inspired the phrases sapphic and lesbian, and her poetry survive in fragmentary form today.

SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780375724510
ISBN 10 0375724516
Title If Not, Winter
Author Sappho
Series Vintage Contemporaries
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Random House USA Inc
Year published 2003-08-12
Number of pages 416
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.