If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho

By combining the ancient mysteries of Sappho with the contemporary wizardry of one of our most fearless and original poets, If Not, Winter 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."

Sappho's verse has been elevated to new heights in this] gorgeous translation. --The New York Times

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

Author: Sappho
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 08/12/2003
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 8.11h x 5.21w x 0.92d
ISBN13: 9780375724510
ISBN10: 0375724516
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | Ancient & Classical
- Poetry | Women Authors
- Poetry | European | General

About the Author
ANNE CARSON was born in Canada and has been a professor of Classics for over thirty years. Her awards and honors include the Lannan Award, the Pushcart Prize, the Griffin Trust Award for Excellence in Poetry, and fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations.