meanieheadbookreviews 's review for:

Sappho by Mary Barnard by Mary Barnard

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Sappho of Lesbos was an Ancient Greek poet whose work is generally considered part of lyrical poetry canon. She is known for her poems about loving other women (the words sapphic and lesbian are derived from her), which is kind of ironic because her work appears to be more bisexual in nature (bi-erasure even in ancient times… we hate to see it). There is a lot of focus on beauty, specifically feminine beauty. I believe all of the poems are meant to be sung, but who knows the tune. Is anyone ever in the mood to read ancient lyrical poetry that’s over 2,000 years old? No. You do it because it’s good for you. It builds character. But I gotta say, there were snippets that really hit home, and there’s something really powerful and wondrous about the human connection that is forged between a woman who wrote something in 500 BC and a woman reading those still relevant words in 2023 AD. Would recommend, especially if you’re interested in queer literature; this is pretty foundational work.