iliadic sappho diaries

today we delve into the erotic world of sapphic poetry and try to discern - could she have been polyamorous?

From kleos to nostos, and Eros to Thanatos, ancient Greek words and dieties are the focus for today's episode. I follow poems 7 through 14 while explaining the origin story of Aphrodite, who some famous gods are that I reference in my poetry, as well as some other myths and stories including but not limited to Odysseus' homecoming and the Myth of Sisyphus.

Intimate, piercing, and incisive, Sappho's fragments are as enrapturing as they are reflective. The subjects of her lyrics range from musing about forbidden love to reveling in the passing of time. Paradoxically, the soft musicality of the poet's phrasing pairs extraordinarily well with the intensity of the emotions she describes in her lyrics: at once the fragments read as tender and visceral. Carson's edition makes for an ideal introduction to Sappho's work, as it clearly marks the many gaps in her extant verse. Whereas editions that don't format the fragments tend to transform Sappho into a kind of sparse Imagist, If Not, Winter forces readers to remember that most of the poet's work has in fact been lost or destroyed. - Michael on Goodreads

Hi, this is Mars Tarassenko, and welcome back to the Iliadic Sappho Diaries Podcast. Please excuse any audio glitches as I'm currently recording with a wired headphone microphone in my bedroom underneath a blanket to make it relatively sound proof (its not working out great). I’m hoping to get a microphone for my birthday so fingers crossed that the audio will get an upgrade soon! 

In the Iliadic Sappho Diaries, I follow the plot of Book Eighteen of The Iliad, Richard Lattimore’s translation. In writing the poems, I made them in a short fragmentary style. While Sappho’s poetry was not necessarily written in fragments it is the style in which we read her work today and lends itself to the disjointed story telling. This technique allows me to delve into the characters' emotions and experiences in The Iliad from a new perspective.