Searching for Sappho: The Lost Songs and World of the First Woman Poet

by Philip Freeman

An exploration of the fascinating poetry, life, and world of Sappho, including a complete translation of all her poems. For more than twenty-five centuries, all that the world knew of the poems of Sappho―the first woman writer in literary history―were a few brief quotations preserved by ancient male authors. Yet those meager remains showed such power and genius that they captured the imagination of readers through the ages. But within the last century, dozens of new pieces of her poetry have been found written on crumbling papyrus or carved on broken pottery buried in the sands of Egypt. As recently as 2014, yet another discovery of a missing poem created a media stir around the world. The poems of Sappho reveal a remarkable woman who lived on the Greek island of Lesbos during the vibrant age of the birth of western science, art, and philosophy. Sappho was the daughter of an aristocratic family, a wife, a devoted mother, a lover of women, and one of the greatest writers of her own or any age. Nonetheless, although most people have heard of Sappho, the story of her lost poems and the lives of the ancient women they celebrate has never been told for a general audience. Searching for Sappho is the exciting tale of the rediscovery of Sappho’s poetry and of the woman and world they reveal. 14 illustrations

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, History, Biography, LGBT, Greece, Classics

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2016

About the author

I teach Classics and Celtic studies at Luther College in the beautiful little town of Decorah, Iowa. I did my doctoral work at Harvard and taught at Boston University and Washington University in St. Louis before coming to Luther to help run the Classics department. I love teaching and see my writing as an extension of my work in the classroom. I hope you enjoy the books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Reviews

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this because it has interesting tidbits about ancient Greek society, but there wasn't a lot about Sappho herself. Which makes sense, because there's not a lot that we can know factually, but it did feel a bit padded. (I kind of think it just got written because new Sappho poem discovered -> time for a new book about Sappho!)

I was glad that though this is written by a guy, he constantly acknowledges things like "Though it may be tempting to paint this woman as the villain, keep in mind that she was a sex slave." So I was happy to see that.

[Therese L. Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging, often revelatory, solidly-documented yet clearly-worded--this book by Philip Freeman now rests on my "indispensable" shelf. SEARCHING FOR SAPPHO is neither the daily journal of an archeologist digging in Greece, nor a volume of commentary on Greek poetry presented by a literary critic. Instead, it is a rich itinerary for the amateur detective inside all of us; it is an irresistible field guide for anyone who relishes the challenge of scavenger hunts. Deploying a wealth of existing literary and historical artifacts, clues, citations, testimonials, and translations, Mr. Freeman invites us along as he correlates the subject matter embodied in Sappho's surviving poems to some reliable deductions about the geography, culture, domestic life, religion, and political events of the region that Sappho called home in the seventh century BC. Most fascinating to me were his evidence for, and conjectures about, the female predicament--how Sappho lived her life as wealthy daughter, sister to three brothers, prominent wife, devoted mother, passionate lover, respected ceremonial poetess, and role model for women of later centuries. I recommend this worthy book for a wide audience.

[Zaiga · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a woman who lived thousands of years ago, there is not going to be a whole lot recorded about your life, even if you were a famous poet in your time. The author does his best to use what was known about life for women in the world of ancient Greece, combined with her poetry, to give you a hint of what Sappho's life may have been like. The coolest thing about this book is that all her (known) poetry is included, even the verse fragments that literally are a single word. It is fascinating and a bit haunting.

[India Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

The facts conveyed through this book were interesting and the poems by Sappho which are included and at several points analysed by the author were beautiful. If this was merely a biography of Sappho or an analysis of her poetry I would have definitely rated this book a lot higher. Instead Freeman repeatedly tried to compare the experiences of Sappho in Ancient Greece to those of a woman living today which felt really forced as he obviously has not lived or shared these experiences. Furthermore he also divulges several 'insights' into her reportedly being a lesbian, which to me felt very staged, like some kind of academic version of mainstream 'lesbian' porn which is in reality being sold to a male heterosexual market. To me, this made the book seem inauthentic and would have been infinitely better if it was written in either a more strictly factual manner or by a woman (preferably one who identifies as a lesbian).

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easily readable, enjoyable, journey into the world of Sappho and the speculation of how that would have been using her poems, and other sources, to explain how it would have been. Recommended to anyone who even has a passing interest in poetry at all, or classics.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also really enjoyed this book. I have read Sappho before, but this book really made me appreciate her work even more. Philip Freeman does an amazing job of putting all of her poems in context of when they were being written. Throughout the book he discusses childhood, coming of age, becoming a mother, ancient Greek family units, sexuality, religion, and eventual death from the unique standpoint of ancient Greek women. He does an amazing job at addressing sensitive topics like the sexual explotation of women and slaves in ancient greece, while also discussing the potential joy and reward of marriage.
Freeman does not shy away from Sappho's sexuality, but takes the time to talk about it and similar stories throughout ancient cities and myths.
All-in-all, this was a terrific way to read Sappho, and better yet, really understand it and its significance.

[Manon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Quite basic information (probably written just because there was a discovery of a "new" Sappho poem two years before this publication) but a nice view into Sappho's world and the world of ancient Greek women in general (because, you know, we know almost nothing about Sappho herself), though I would still count all that as padding (and Athenocentric, which almost always happens when attempting such a general overview). Liked the translations and there is an inventarisation of all the sources/manuscripts in which the poems can be found as well, which makes for a good overview of the (manuscript) tradition. Could serve as a nice companion to the beautiful translation of Sappho's poems by Anne Carson from 2002.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book. Freeman seems to write for the readers and himself. He clearly has a passion and love for Sappho that shows on every page and inspires the reader to fall deeper and deeper in love with the ancient poet. His writing is witty, thoughtful, and full of love. An amazing read with great translations of Sappho's many poems and fragments at the end of the book.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's love of Sappho comes through in this book - exploring her poetry and biography while putting it in the context of the culture and history.

[Emily Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

[Clara Pickering · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite historical reads. It's wonderfully organized, great descriptions, smooth writing, and very interesting to read. The tone of the author keeps your attention, which is unlike a LOT of history books I have read. This gives great context of the time of Sappho and how her poetry gives us a glimpse into the culture of the ancient Greeks. Gave me a whole new perspective.

[Leena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book delving into different stages of a woman's life and how this was used in Sappho poems.

The last part of the book is all of her poems, including just fragments, all translated.

[Adrienne Bross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea why I was never exposed to the writing and story of Sappho, and I'm so glad that I finally managed to enlighten myself. The academic aspect of the book served as a well-rounded introduction to Sappho, and her poetry is beautiful. I actually cried.

[Mariana · Rating 2 out of 5]

In general, follow the trail of ancient Greek writers can be a difficult, mysterious, although fascinating task, and when talking about women writers, can be a little more challenging. Sappho is maybe the most known female figure of poetry from Ancient Greece, although in no way the only, and the one with more stories and speculations around. P Freeman makes clear since the first page that he is not going to tell us -the truth-, he, as all the other academics, is going to try to connect the little we know about Sappho with what is known from other authors, texts and historians.

Freeman book is a combination of Sappho poetry, a deep analysis of it, and a fascinating and easy to understand recapitulation of the manners and historical information that can define the world and the society in which she lived. Throughout the book we can read about the connection of women, weaving and poetry, the religious notions and how they were close to women and at the end how all of this can be found in Sappho fragments. The erotic and sexual content of her fragments have an interesting analysis too, one that I found truly respectful and beautiful, and as the author say, away from moralistic interpretations that should not interfere when studying her words.
Another significant thing Freeman do is talking about the other women writers before and after Sappho, their poetry and the much or less we know about them. It is refreshing and illuminating to read not only a respectful analysis of her poetry, but an approach to other writers who are often left aside. Also, the way he shows how Sappho's poetry is a reflection not only of her personal passions, but of the life of women, their sexuality, mysticism and their religious beliefs as well as a portrait, unfortunately incomplete, of politics and commerce of Lesbos, is a totally amazing way to read her.

And to finish, his last sentence shows what all scholars often forget: "No translation of an ancient Greek author can do justice to the original, especially when that author is a poet as subtle as Sappho [...] But as much as possible in all the poems, I tried to let Sappho speak to us through the centuries with her own voice."

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved it. It was a great and easy read. It provided some context of Sappho's poetry which I'm really grateful for. Poems I never cared for suddenly come to life because I understood why they were written, or about what. It's also interesting to have an alternative to Anne Carson's translation. I wish there was more of it.
(I questioned some of the historical methods at times and the many assumptions).

[Max Rohleder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to Sappho and the word of ancient greek women. Best part: all known poems included!!! Her poems, 2,500 years old, are amazingly modern and tremendous works of art that can't fail to affect even the 21st century sensibility.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, and very readable. It gives us translation of what we have of her poetry (supposed to be sung with a lyre) and what we can understand about her life. It's an absolute must for all poetry fans and for anyone interested in women's history.

[Radclyffe U-Haul · Rating 5 out of 5]

*swoon*

[Rayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I might like poetry after all.

There is so little known about Sappho’s life that it’s impossible to write a proper biography of her. The author of this book tries to piece together a picture of what her life might have been like based on the knowledge that we have about Ancient Greece. The result is a lot of speculation, which he acknowledges. The information about women’s lives in Greece in Sappho’s time wasn’t boring but at the same time I didn’t really need to read that much about heterosexual marriage and heterosexual traditions in a book about the most famous lesbian poet of all time.

Freeman translates one of Sappho’s best-known fragments:

Truly, sweet mother, I cannot weave on the loom,
for I am overcome with desire for a boy because of slender Aphrodite.

He comments:

The word Sappho uses for the object of the girl’s affection is also telling. Greek pais (translated “boy” here) is usually reserved for a child or young person of either gender, meaning the girl is presumably in love with a young man—or conceivably a young woman—of her own age, not an older groom.

Freeman seems to believe this particular fragment is not autobiographical, but regardless of whether it is or not, it is bizarre for him to concede that this fragment could be about a girl desiring another girl yet still assume that the gender-neutral term refers to a male, especially when he’s translating the works of a woman who is known for writing about erotic desire between women.

Freeman believes it is “almost certain” that Sappho had a husband because Greek fathers arranged marriages for their daughters after they reached puberty and the girls generally didn’t have a choice in the matter. Also Sappho reportedly had a daughter named Cleis. There simply isn’t enough information for anyone to be sure, but I don’t think this is conclusive evidence that she was married to a man.

There’s also this:

The entry on Sappho [on a papyrus scroll dating to the early centuries AD] includes a line written in Greek that says “she had a daughter named Cleis named after her own mother.” This fragment is centuries older than the Byzantine Suda encyclopedia that also mentions Cleis. Sappho’s father, mother, and three brothers are listed, but the papyrus doesn’t name the father of Cleis. This is a surprising omission in a world where a child’s identity was so closely connected with his or her father. Perhaps the author of the papyrus knew about the tradition that Sappho was married to Cercylas (“Penis from Man Island”) but rejected it as absurd.

You don’t say...

Freeman’s admiration of Sappho’s work does feel genuine, and he criticises the scholars and commentators who denied the obvious homosexuality in Sappho’s poetry. He clearly did a lot of research digging up sources about Sappho and her poems and the time that she lived in. I’m not convinced by some of the conclusions he reaches about her life but the only translation he made that I dislike is the one for the “sweet mother, I cannot weave” fragment.

Apart from the translations of Sappho’s poetry itself, I most enjoyed the chapters about homosexuality and religion in Ancient Greece. So it was all worth it in the end.

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a biography of Sappho, you're not going to find it here. But you're not actually going to find it anywhere, because we just don't know enough about her to piece many facts together. Here's what we think we know: she grew up in a wealthy, aristocratic family with a lot of political power; she married and had a daughter; she was at some point exiled in Sicily; she, yes, at some point had at least one romantic relationship with a woman; she died an old woman on Lesbos. Oh, and she was a writer, an early lyric poet who wrote beautiful, memorable verses that still resonate today, thousands of years later.

The text of this book is only about 170 pages long -- the rest of it is filled with notes and bibliography and all of the surviving Sapphic verses. At times Freeman writes as if he has been assigned a twenty-page paper and only has eighteen pages of information. He concludes, somewhat sheepishly, a four-page digression about contraception and abortion with a concession that "no evidence suggests that Sappho had to make such a difficult and heartrending decision about a pregnancy herself."

But Freeman also makes the point that learning about how difficult life was for women in ancient Greece, how thoroughly men expected to dominate them, does have the effect of making Sappho's success even more impressive. Certainly it seems as though Sappho strained against conventions throughout her life: she had only one child, a daughter; she wrote poetry; she had love affairs with women. (Interestingly, ancient Greece was largely tolerant of male same-sex relationships but looked askance at lesbian romance.) One wonders about the status of her marriage -- presumably it wasn't great. But we know very little about her husband; even the name typically assigned to him appears to have been a lewd joke. As Freeman points out, it seems unlikely that Sappho was actually married to someone named Penis from Man Island.

It's a shame that so much of Sappho's poetry is lost. It seems we could have learned much from it about the lives of ancient Greek women. Fragments of her verses provide tantalizing hints about, for example, the religious life of women on Lesbos, or what women's lives were like in Greece after they finished raising children.

Swinburne famously said that "Sappho is simply nothing less . . . than the greatest poet who ever was." I think that's a tough case to make, given how little of her poetry survives. But what Freeman shows here is how fascinating and remarkable her life was and how much we could have learned about ancient Greece if we only had a little more of her work to study.




This is the fourth book in my Greece reading list. The review of the first book, Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times, is here.

And here is the review of the next book on my reading list, Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this fascinating biography of Sappho, Freeman describes the poet’s life and times with the skill of a consummate storyteller, weaving what little scholars know about her with reasonable speculations about the poet’s life and work, much like how forensic historians and archeologists have pieced together the papyrus fragments of Sappho’s poetry.

Freeman’s reverence for Sappho is clearly evident, especially in the preface to his translations of her poems: “I was able to hold the only surviving copy of a Sappho poem (44) in my hands at the papyrology rooms of the Sackler Library at Oxford University. Next to the birth of my children, it was one of the most thrilling moments of my life” (p. 173). In these brilliantly nuanced translations, Freeman has succeeded in letting “Sappho speak to us through the centuries with her own voice” (p. 174).

Indulge yourself, dear reader, with the sensual delights of these new translations of Sappho’s love poems.

Favorite Poems:
1. “Deathless Aphrodite on your dazzling throne”
2. “Come to me here from Crete to this holy”
5. “Nereids, grant that”
8. “for you, Atthis . . .”
16. “Some say an army of horsemen”
17. “Come close to me, I pray”
19. “. . . waiting”
23. “. . . of love” (wowza!)
31. “He seems to me equal to the gods”
34. “The stars around the beautiful moon”
48. “You came and I was longing for you”
51. “I don’t know what I should do”
52. “I do not expect to touch the sky”
56. “I do not imagine that any girl”
58. “. . . I pray”
88. “. . . loosen”
94. “. . . ‘I honestly wish I were dead.’”
96. “. . . Sardis”
98. “For my mother used to say”
104. “Evening, you gather”
107. “Do I still long for my virginity?”
114. “Virginity, virginity, where have you gone?”
118. “Come, divine lyre, speak to me”
121. “But if I am your friend”
126. “May you sleep on the bosom”
130. “Once again limb-loosening Love”
132. “I have a beautiful child”
136. “Messenger of spring”
138. “Stand before me”
146. “I want neither the honey nor the bee”
147. “Someone, I say, will remember us”
148. “Wealth without virtue”
150. “It is not right in the house”
168B. “The moon has set”
185. “honey-voiced”
“The Brothers Poem”
“The Cypris Poem”

[Sayani · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I was reading Melissa Broder's The Pisces, I dug out this book about Sappho's life and times. Freeman has also added translation of all Sappho's poems but be warned those who don't know about old Greek literature. These are fragments of what used to be complete verses often found on potshards and papyruses found in the early 20th century. Years of hard work has been done to create meaning from these like a jigsaw puzzle, a literary jigsaw puzzle. Also, after 100 B.C. many later philosophers and poets also wrote about Sappho. Taken together the book takes us a journey through the lives of women in ancient Greece. Their life as pre-adolescent girls, through marriage, motherhood and their position and function in the society. A time when girls were married at the age of fifteen and their roles were limited to childbearing, wool-weaving, etc. In such times it can be deduced from evidences that Sappho came from a politically important family, she had an education at par with the male poets of her generation as seen by the construction of her poetry and she left us with some of the most enticing poetry ever. It made me think what would we leave for our future generations and if we do I hope it's as beautiful as Sappho's lyrics.

[Keith Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my slight disappointment with this book might have to do with the limitations of the material. After all, how can I fault Freeman for not giving us enough of Sappho when there is so little that is known?! But early on he gives a short tale about the discover of manuscripts, and I think that made me hope that this would be a book of archaeological intrigue.

But it's not. Mostly it is a rehash -- even a useful rehash -- of information about the life of women in the preclassical and classical periods. That was worth reading, although it wasn't new or exciting. The best chapters were those on same sex love in the classical world and on the worship of the goddess. That brought the most interesting poems to life.

The translations felt a big pedestrian, a bit ordinary. And we had to dig deep into the footnotes to find out about the sounds and rhythms Sappho got in her Greek. That was a missed chance. Otherwise, we might tend to read Sappho the way we would read the Tang poets, for instance. Freeman had it hard publishing his book just a few years after Anne Carson's translations. Carson did try to find rhythms. And she (and her publisher) found a way to vivify the lacunae in the poems in a way that actually seemed illuminating.

[Debrah Roemisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard of Sappho but had not actually read her poetry or much about what is known about her so enjoyed this learning experience. We often hear about her associated with erotic poems of for another woman, but there is a lot of variety. I loved the poems about getting old and her love for her daughter. Definitely a male author though--at one point he says that there is a blurred line between contraception and early abortion in ancient medicine with pregnancy viewed as a process taking several days rather one night--actually though they were wrong about a lot they were right about this! It does take several days. In another place he says that Sappho suggest that women guarded their own "virginity" as a form of empowerment. Well--duh--if you are condemned to a horrible life a woman is going to guard it--as self protection not self empowerment! Other that those two mistakes he is a good writer.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up on clearance at the MET. I enjoyed it. Freeman writes in an engaging mannerWot and does a fair job of presenting the evidence and doesn't rely on conjecture, which I appreciated. The book is divided in two parts, the first being a commentary on Sappho's poetry via piecing together a possible picture of her life starting from what her childhood would have been like up to her death. The second is a translation of her poems. This makes some of the information repetitive, especially since the first half is written in such a way where the reader could pick a chapter at random and not have to rely on any information that came before. However, there was good information and it was highly readable and just plain fun. Worth the read.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously the best part of this book might be the random acknowledgement/endnote bit where among the sources and details the author mentions that during his research he looked at many texts and photos but at one point actually held in his hands one of the 2000-year-old papyrus poems of Sappho and it was like the best day of his life.

Before I read this I was like, yeah! Sappho! as any good feminist who dabbles in lesbian studies would be. Now I am all up in Sappho's literary and stunning poetry talent and that, coupled with my newfound study of all things ancient Greek, made this book super important.

It'll make you a Sappho believer though, for real.

[Indus_Escapes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
The lost songs and the world of apparently the world's first woman poet. Filled with readable translations and interpretations of all the surviving poems and fragments. Reconstructing Sappho's life, it portrayed the daily existence of Greek women's life.

Thoughts:
An interesting collection of poems and thoughts about Sappho's life but very European-centric and quite vague with the context lacking in substance. This made it rather difficult to connect to.

Quotes:
"The stars around the beautiful moon
hide back their radiant form
when she in her fullness shines
over the earth."

[rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting, well-crafted glimpse into what little is known of the lives of Greek women and what little remains of Sappho's poetry, interpreted and pieced together to try and imagine what the poet's life might have been like in 7th-century BC Lesbos. Although I was left wanting a more in-depth exploration of Sappho's sexuality, legacy and the representations of her over the centuries, it has certainly deepened my understanding and appreciation of her poems – and made me wish I could read them in the original!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally, this is a good book. The author speculates about the life of Sappho as he provides facts about the women in ancient Greece. He does retroject a lot of information, but that’s unavoidable.

The part I find most offensive is his inclusion of the Brother’s Poem. This poem is on a papyrus, which was looted, and identified by Dirk Obbink, who is a thief and a liar. It’s inclusion, with only the briefest mention of the scandal, is irresponsible and promotes looting by collectors (and Oxford academics, Obbink).

[Eavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent history and look into the world Sappho would have grown up and lived in. I felt the author's translations, though illuminating in parts (describing the translation difficulties and nuances) were less vibrant than Mary Barnard. I also appreciated the weaving of her poetry to the history and biography, especially in regard to sticking with the female perspective that is so lacking, but I just wish there was more! 160 pages of bio/history left me wanting.