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 Companion draws 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 to The Sappho Companion in 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's Victorian Sappho, Paige DuBois's Sappho is Burning, and Anne Carson's brilliant meditation, Eros: The Bittersweet. --Regina Marler


From Publishers Weekly
Hailing from the island of Lesbos, which has subsequently lent its name in her honor to a good cause, the Greek poet Sappho, who lived in the 7th century B.C., has inspired centuries of admiration for her transcendent poems, which have only survived in fragments. A British teacher, critic and broadcaster with a wide range of cultural references at her disposal, Reynolds makes this reader's guide to Sappho's world and work a delightfully erudite one. She offers a selection of sapphic fragments in the original Greek, with thought-provoking contrasting translations from a plethora of (often male) writers, ranging from 18th century Englishmen like Tobias Smollett and John Addison, through 19th century efforts by John Addington Symonds and Alfred Lord Tennyson, to more modern versions by William Carlos Williams and Guy Davenport. Following the works are 14 chapters of excerpts from literary endeavors inspired by Sappho ("The Sapphic Sublime," "Daughter of de Sade," "Modernist Sappho," "Swingers and Sisters"), from ancient writers like Catullus and Ovid to the medieval works of Boccaccio and Christine de Pisan, right up to Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson. Reynolds explains that English speakers pronounce the poet's name with "soft sibilants and faded f's" but "if you hear a native speaker say her name, she comes across spitting and popping hard p's. Ppppsappoppo. We have eased off her name, made her docile and sliding, where she is really difficult, diffuse, many-syllabled, many-minded, vigorous and hard." This lively book, scholarly, yet blessedly minus any footnotes, is sure to give a wider view of this primary writer, and provide easier access to a forbiddingly remote land and work. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
The name Sappho conjures endless stories and images, few of which have any basis in a truth that is impossible to know. She lived in the early sixth century B.C.E. on the island of Lesbos, off the coast of present-day Turkey. Beyond that, little is known of her except the fragments of her surviving poetry. Her reputation has varied according to time and place, from lesbian lover to a woman who jumped off a cliff in hopes of reviving her male lover's ardor; from the "Learned Lady" of the Middle Ages to the "Wanton" of the 18th century; from the "Daughter of de Sade" to the "New Woman" in the 1900s. With accompanying explanation and historical background, Reynolds (coeditor, Victorian Women Poets) gathers works in which the image of Sappho is present. Beginning with 30 fragments of Sappho's own poetry, she continues, in roughly chronological order, to show manifestations of Sappho in excerpts from various literatures. An excellent example of the transformative power of literature and imagination, this volume is recommended for academic and public libraries. Katherine Kaigler-Koenig, Ellis Sch., Pittsburgh Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Library Journal
An excellent example of the transformative power of literature and imagination, this volume is recommended....


Curve
Chock-full of literary references, illustrations and analysis, this is a must for all fans.


Review
...it's a happy and catholic selection of texts ranging from translations to poems and parts of novels...
-Providence Journal

"...lively book...is sure to give a wider view of this primary writer, and provide easier access to a forbiddingly remote land and work." --Publishers Weekly

"...Margaret Reynolds has collected bits and pieces of all these Sapphos into a single, diverting volume. The book is like a plate assembled at a vast literary buffet- a dab of this, a morsel of that, the sweet, the salty, the delectable, the piquant, and, occasionally, the cloying." --Salon.com

"An excellent example of the transformative power of literature and imagination, this volume is recommended." --Library Journal

"chock-full of literary references, illustrations and analysis, this is a must for all fans" --Curve

"Reynolds has really done her homework...manages to take an extraordinary outpouring of scholarship about Sappho and make it come alive." --Women's Review of Books



Book Description
Born around 630 BC on the Greek Island of Lesbos, Sappho is the greatest lyrical poet of Greece, and one of the greatist artists of any age. Her poems exist only as fragments, and her life is not much more than speculation, but Sappho's pull-as writer, voice, and image-affects every era. Ovid, Baudelaire,and Jeanette Winterson are just a few of the writers who, each generation, claim Sappho as their own. Who is Sappho? Lesbian, mother poet, lover, suicide warning, and icon. In this innovative blend of personal reflection and cultural history Margaret Reynolds illuminates Sappho's genius, her life, her sexuality, and the extraordinary influence she has had across centiruies. Built on key themes, this book features a rich offering of poems, plays, essays, and stories by leading writers that bring Sappho's legacy to life.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"For two and a half thousand years, poets and readers have been moved and inspired by the writing of Sappho, and the myths that surround her. Born around 630 B.C. on the Greek island of Lesbos, Sappho is now regarded as the greatest lyrical poet of ancient Greece, ironic and passionate, capturing the troubled depths of love, the beauty of nature, the ceremony of ritual and the power of spiritual longing. Her work survives only in fragments, yet her influence extends throughout Western literature, fuelled by the speculations and romances which have gathered around her name, her story, and her sexuality." "Margaret Reynolds has produced a remarkable anthology, bound together with vivid narrative accounts of the way different periods have taken up Sappho's haunting story. The Sappho Companion brings together many different kinds of work, ranging from the blue-stocking appreciations to juicy fantasies."--BOOK JACKET.

FROM THE CRITICS

Salon.com

The book is like a plate assembled at a vast literary buffet- a dab of this,a morsel of that,the sweet,the salty,the delectable,the piquant.

Library Journal

The name Sappho conjures endless stories and images, few of which have any basis in a truth that is impossible to know. She lived in the early sixth century B.C.E. on the island of Lesbos, off the coast of present-day Turkey. Beyond that, little is known of her except the fragments of her surviving poetry. Her reputation has varied according to time and place, from lesbian lover to a woman who jumped off a cliff in hopes of reviving her male lover's ardor; from the "Learned Lady" of the Middle Ages to the "Wanton" of the 18th century; from the "Daughter of de Sade" to the "New Woman" in the 1900s. With accompanying explanation and historical background, Reynolds (coeditor, Victorian Women Poets) gathers works in which the image of Sappho is present. Beginning with 30 fragments of Sappho's own poetry, she continues, in roughly chronological order, to show manifestations of Sappho in excerpts from various literatures. An excellent example of the transformative power of literature and imagination, this volume is recommended for academic and public libraries. Katherine Kaigler-Koenig, Ellis Sch., Pittsburgh Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews