Classical Women PoetsJosephine Balmer Fragmented and forgotten, the women poets of ancient Greece and Rome have long been overlooked by translators and scholars. Yet to Antipater of Thessalonica, writing in the first century AD, these were the 'earthly Muses' whose poetic skills rivalled those of their heavenly namesakes. Today only a fraction of their work survives - lyrical, witty, often innovative, and always moving - offering surprising insights into the closed world of women in antiquity, from childhood friendships through love affairs and marriage to motherhood and bereavement. Josephine Balmer's translations breathe new life into long-lost works by over a dozen poets from early Greece to the late Roman empire, including Sappho, Corinna, Erinna and Sulpicia, as well as inscriptions, folk-songs and even graffiti. Each poet is introduced by a brief bibliographical note, and where necessary her poems are annotated to guide readers through unfamiliar mythological or historical references. In an illuminating introduction, Josephine Balmer examines the nature of women's poetry in antiquity, as well as the problems (and pleasures) of translating such fragmentary works. Classical Women Poets is a complete collection for anyone interested in women's literature, the ancient world, and - above all - poetry. It is a companion volume to Josephine Balmer's edition Sappho: Poems and Fragments, also published by Bloodaxe. |
Contents
Womens Poetry Womens Lives | 9 |
Sulpicia | 12 |
Womens Poems Womens Poetry חקקקקקקקקקה | 13 |
Copyright | |
25 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ancient Antipater of Thessalonica Anyte Anyte's Aphrodite Apollo Apollonius Dyscolus Aristophanes Artemis Asopus Athenaeus Athens Balmer Baucis beauty Boeotia Boeotus Bowra celebrated Cerinthus characterised childhood Cithaeron classical women poets classical women's poetry comic commentators compound adjective Corinna daughter death Diaz-Diocaretz Distaff echo écriture féminine emphasise epigrams Erinna Eudocia example father female festival fragment Geoghegan girls Glaucus goddess gods Greek poet Hades Hedyle Hedyle's Hellenistic Hermes hero Homer Iliad Julia Balbilla king lament Latin Lefkowitz Lesbos literary lover lyric male poet Melinno Memnon memory metaphor modern Moero No.47 mother Muses Myrtis myth mythological Nossis nymph Odyssey Orion papyrus Pausanias Pindar Plutarch poetic Pomeroy Praxilla Proba quoted Rayor reference Rhinthon rhyme Rich's Richlin Roman Rome sacred Sappho Sappho LP scholars scholiast Scylla second century sensual sexual Skinner Snyder songs statue suggests Sulpicia survive Tanagra Tatian Telesilla Thebes third century Tortoise translation verb woman words writers Zeus