Poems and Fragments
"I have long been an admirer of Stanley Lombardo's translations of Homer, and I was curious to see how he would adapt his fast-paced, lively style to Sappho. He has succeeded admirably. His translation of 73 poems of Sappho is clear, energetic, and close to the Greek. Pamela Gordon's Introduction gives a lucid and useful guide for the non-specialist to the last fifty years of scholarly debate on Sappho. This edition will be particularly useful for instructors of courses in translation seeking an introduction to Sappho for the Greekless student. It is also a pleasure to read."
—Laurel Bowman, The Classical Bulletin
SKU
26037g
A PEN Center USA 2003 Literary Award Finalist.
Little remains today of the writings of the archaic Greek poet Sappho (fl. late 7th and early 6th centuries B.C.E.), whose work is said to have filled nine papyrus rolls in the great library at Alexandria some 500 years after her death. The surviving texts consist of a lamentably small and fragmented body of lyric poetry—among them, poems of invocation, desire, spite, celebration, resignation, and remembrance—that nevertheless enables us to hear the living voice of the poet Plato called the tenth Muse.
Stanley Lombardo's translations give us a virtuoso embodiment of Sappho's voice, whose telltale charm, authority, immediacy, directness, intensity, and sudden changes of tone are among the hallmarks of his masterly translation.
Pamela Gordon introduces us to the world of Sappho, discusses questions surrounding the transmission of her manuscripts, offers advice on reading these texts, and concludes with an enlightening discussion of same-sex desire in Sappho.
Reviews:
"The four sections of this book [Introduction, Translator's Note, translations, Notes on Ancient Sources] work remarkably well together, presenting the fragments of Sappho according to 'the idea of the isolated message' (xvii). The dominant and characteristic interest shared by both Lombardo as translator and Gordon as introducer is their concerted effort to validate 'fragments as esthetic wholes' (xxvi).
"Lombardo's translations are pleasantly distinct from those of any other I am aware of both for their sonorous but straightforward rendering in modern spoken American English . . . [an edition] better both for its clear translations, and for the breadth and depth of the critical Introduction. Lombardo's strategy as translator is to convey not only the Greek by means of English, but also the experience of reading 'Sappho as a pure, received text' (xxvi) by means of direct, plain presentation of the poem
. . . A unique and welcome contribution to the diversity of English translations available."
—Travis Feldman, The Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"I have long been an admirer of Stanley Lombardo's translations of Homer, and I was curious to see how he would adapt his fast-paced, lively style to Sappho. He has succeeded admirably. His translation of 73 poems of Sappho is clear, energetic, and close to the Greek. Pamela Gordon's Introduction gives a lucid and useful guide for the non-specialist to the last fifty years of scholarly debate on Sappho. This edition will be particularly useful for instructors of courses in translation seeking an introduction to Sappho for the Greekless student. It is also a pleasure to read."
—Laurel Bowman, The Classical Bulletin
"Gordon's Introduction is a clear summation of the poetic and scholarly aura surrounding the figure of Sappho and these literary fragments. . . . This essay, complete with selective bibliography at the end, could be assigned to undergraduates as a first introduction to both the poetry and the phenomenon of Sappho. . . . Lombardo's translations are lively and accessible; Sappho lives anew for the English reader. . . . Ideal for teaching at the undergraduate level."
—Cashman Kerr Prince, New England Classical Journal
"Fragmentariness is central to our perception of Sappho: the Alexandrian library had nine papyrus rolls, but we have just a handful of poems sufficiently complete to be interpreted with any confidence. In the gaps imagination has run riot: 'Sappho' is a construct, and reception here takes center stage. Traditional scholarship tried to depict her world (a school, a cult association?). More recently it has been denied that we can ever speak of a 'private voice' in early Greek poetry. Gordon charts all of this in a sparkling and accessible Introduction, along with the equally interesting story of how we came to have the various surviving bits (papyri, potsherds, embedded quotations, good luck. . . ). Lombardo's translation is always plain and pleasing."
—John Taylor, The Joint Association of Classical Teachers Review
"This is a magical translation of the poems and fragments of Sappho—it's sensitive, light-handed, and beautifully poetic. Lombardo makes no attempt to 'complete' fragmented poems, and when they trail off one is left with a sense of deep emotion and unfulfilled yearning."
—Lisa Rengo George, Arizona State University
"I used your edition of Sappho in my 300-level women writer's course (for non-English majors). It was perfect! The introductory material was 'just enough' for this course, and the translation was very readable. For this level of students I would use it again next time I teach the course."
—Lois Bragg, Gallaudet University
About the Authors:
Stanley Lombardo is Professor of Classics, University of Kansas. His previous translations include Hesiod's Works & Days and Theogony (1993), and Homer's Iliad (1997) and Odyssey (2000), all published by Hackett.
Pamela Gordon is Associate Professor of Classics, University of Kansas.
