If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho

by Anne Carson and Sappho

Book Overview

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

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375724516
• ISBN13: 9780375724510
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

great translation of classic poetry

this is a great translation of Sappho's work and one thing i really love is that each page is accompanied by the original text and, everything is also spaced like the original text, it's a great piece and just fun to read over