kittoji's review against another edition
4.0
i have slight beef with the way carson translated fragment 102 with no notes on the nuance. ultimately i think english is probably not the best language to render ancient greek- it doesn't do justice to the richness of it
rjoberfoell's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
someone will remember us I say even in another time 🥺
raynaforreal's review against another edition
5.0
Stunning poetry, even in fragments. The fact that Sappho's poetry is so compelling even when incomplete is a testament to her talent as a writer.
hissingpotatoes's review against another edition
4.0
I love that the book includes the facing original Greek. Since it's from 2002, it should be read in conjunction with more recent scholarship on Sappho as discoveries have been made in the intervening years. Jarringly, one translation includes the anachronistic "car" instead of "chariot." The translations are more on the side of faithfully following the literal Greek; while this makes for more awkward/archaic-sounding poetry to the modern ear, I really appreciate the accuracy. I read this translation alongside Diane J. Rayor's 2023 translation, and it's very interesting to see how they filled in blanks and translated words differently. The commentary on each fragment is great, though it gives more weight to historical authors trying to reconstruct Sappho's life than Rayor's commentary does. The two editions necessarily supplemented each other.Â