A Sappho Companion

A beautifully illustrated anthology of works inspired by Sappho combined with fragments of the poet’s own writing.

Born about 2,500 years ago on the island of Lesbos, Sappho is now regarded as the greatest lyrical poet of ancient Greece. Her work survives only in fragments, yet her influence extends throughout Western literature, fueled by the speculation and romances which have gathered around her name, her story and her sexuality. This collection demonstrates how Sappho’s image has changed through the ages – in Ovid’s poetry, Boccaccio’s tales, in translations by Pope, Rossetti, Swinburne and Baudelaire, and in modern versions of Eavan Boland and Jeanette Winterson.