El canto lesbio

Sappho's work represents one of the highlights of archaic Greek lyric. Born on the island of Lesbos in the 7th century BC. C., and probably of aristocratic origin, it seems that almost always moved in small and select groups. Her poetry, which made her a canonical author and for which she was called the "tenth Muse", is a musical prodigy of elaborate naturalness, of extolling love and sexuality, of worshiping the gods and also the world. that surrounds her, as well as in praise of beauty and feminine sensitivity. Unconditionally admired in classical Greece, her poems not only suffered greatly from the vicissitudes of textual transmission, but were also subjected to various interested interpretations of a certain traditional criticism. Fortunately, as Marta González explains in the prologue to this edition, although many questions still surround Safo, the strength of her writing has been freeing itself from prejudices and has been the origin of a solid literary heritage.