Among the Ancients: Sappho

In the third episode of Among the Ancients, Emily and Tom move from epic to lyric, with the poems of Sappho, or what remains of them. They consider what we know, and don’t know, about her life, and how her poetry challenges the heroic tradition, both in its subversion of Homeric ideas of war and nostos, and in its playful use of language.Non-subscribers can only hear extracts from most of the episodes in this series. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsEmily Wilson:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v26/n01/emily-wilson/tongue-breaksTerry Castle:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v21/n19/terry-castle/always-the-bridesmaidMary Beard:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v12/n19/mary-beard/sappho-speaksPeter Green:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n22/peter-green/what-we-knowEmily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and translator of the 'Odysse'y and the 'Iliad'. Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books and host of the LRB Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.