thebobsphere 's review for:

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz

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Booker season has arrived! It’s always an exciting time and this year seems to be a strong one. It’s always good to see small presses on major book awards like this so I was looking forward to reading After Sappho, which is on Galley Beggar Press as my first novel out of the Booker dozen.

After Sappho takes the lives of women some famous some, obscure and links them to the Greek poet , Sappho , who is also known as a symbol of love between women. Indeed all the women mentioned in the book from Virginia Woolf , Colette , Lina Poletti and Sarah Bernhardt have had relationships with other women or passed as men, either on stage or in reality, the most interesting piece being about William Seymour.

The book is structured in a Sebaldian way; it is divided into vignettes spanning the years 1880 – 1930, however everything is linked and intricately with Sappho being the main thread. What emerges is a portrait of women demanding to be treated equally, deifying the patriarchy and breaking free from masculine stereotypes of women – something which not a modern concept but has been present since the classical era. It is an impressive feat, especially when Selby Wynn Schwartz’s prose is so accessible and the linking themes are pulled off deftly.

Once again Galley Beggar Press has managed to balance interesting writing with a memorable story. This is their second time being on the Booker Dozen, the first being the awesome Ducks, Newburyport and I do hope that After Sappho makes the shortlist as well. It’s a unique eye opener of a book which will challenge and teach in the process.