The Sappho Companion
The ways in which this sparkling, unexpected anthology will be classified in libraries and bookstores--lesbian studies; classical studies--will strike anyone who reads it as absurd. A sweeping look at the persistence of the Greek poet Sappho in the artistic and popular imagination,The Sappho Companiondraws on everything from the Roman myths of Sappho to the eighteenth century rediscovery of Herculaneum, with its intriguing papyrus fragments, to Pat Califia's 1980 lesbian S/M book,Sapphistry: The Book of Lesbian Sexuality(out of print). The only book that compares toThe Sappho Companionin its breadth and imaginative vigor is Charles Sprawson's lyrical book on swimming,Haunts of the Black Masseur: The Swimmer as Hero, in which the swan-diving Sappho makes an appearance. You don't need to know a thing about Sappho to relish this book, but for true enthusiasts, it makes a good companion volume for Yopie Prins'sVictorian Sappho, Paige DuBois'sSappho is Burning, and Anne Carson's brilliant meditation,Eros: The Bittersweet.--Regina Marler--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.