Sappho, Stanley Lombardo, Pamela Gordon Complete Poems and Fragments

Two or three complete poems and scattered fragments are the only physical remains to anchor the vast legends surrounding the Greek poet Sappho, who lived on the island of Lesbos in the late seventh and early sixth centuries BCE. In many cases, says Pamela Gordon in her 40-page introduction, the stories of how the poems and fragments survived or did not are the most intriguing, especially because so little is known about Sappho herself. After the poems and fragments, the volume presents imitations of and homages to her. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
"In this expanded edition of his distinguished Sappho: Poems and Fragments (2002), Stanley Lombardo offers over 100 fragments not included in the original edition, as well as the new poems discovered in 2004 and 2014. His translation of this latter material yields fresh insights into Sappho's representations of old age, two of her brothers, and her special relationship with Aphrodite. Pamela Gordon’s engaging, balanced, and informative Introduction has been revised to incorporate discussion of the new fragments, which subtly alter our previous understanding of the archaic poet’s corpus. Complete Poems and Fragments also offers a useful updated bibliography, as well as a section on 'Elegiac Sappho' that presents the reception of the Lesbian poet in later Greek and Latin elegiac poems. A wonderful find for any Greekless reader searching for a complete and up-to-date Sappho. Patricia A. Rosenmeyer, Department of Classics, University of Wisconsin–Madison.