Editorial Review:
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Of the nine books of lyrics the ancient Greek poet Sappho is said to have composed, only one poem has survived complete. The rest are fragments. In this miraculous new translation, acclaimed poet and classicist Anne Carson presents all of Sappho’s fragments, in Greek and in English, as if on the ragged scraps of papyrus that preserve them, inviting a thrill of discovery and conjecture that can be described only as electric—or, to use Sappho’s words, as “thin fire . . . racing under skin.” By combining the ancient mysteries of Sappho with the contemporary wizardry of one of our most fearless and original poets, If Not, Winter provides a tantalizing window onto the genius of a woman whose lyric power spans millennia.
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Reader Reviews for If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Sappho offers you the world
Comment: In this astonishing translation, Anne Carson in collaboration with Sappho, offers the reader a chance to make decisions in this life based on love. To start there.
This collection offers us a way to accept the challenges of love and love-decisions in this life. To say yes to occasional pain, to feel the beauty everywhere. To know that poetry is the great grain of our life. That the body is the soul.
Anyone interested in love should read these poems slowly and then read them again. Carson's language is powerful and subtle. In a word, lovely. Another: exciting. Isn't this the perfect gift?
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Carson's Translation of Sappho
Comment: Carson does an amazing job of working with what is really a miniscule measure of poetry. Her text is esentially a few scattered poems an then mroe than one hundred pages of one-line fragments. However, her ability to analyze these fragments is very interesting; she gives them literary and historical context. The book is hardly "enjoyable," but it is certainly insightful.
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Summary: A Beautiful Collection of Fragments
Comment: I love how this collection has been put together - the Greek original on the left and English translation on the right, complete with brackets for the parts that are missing. I read the book in one sitting and keep returning to it as the poetry is very powerful. I recommend this edition to anyone looking for a collection of Sappho's fragments. It also makes a beautiful gift.
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Summary: A wonderful, thought-provoking gift
Comment: I've been meaning to review this for a couple of years now, and I'm just getting to it after having replaced my original, worn, tattered, dogeared, falling apart copy. The fact that my first copy was in that condition speaks much. Carson has given our modern world a gift of unimaginable beauty in her translations of Sappho's fragmented works. By devoting each page to a solitary fragment, and providing the original text along with her translation, the reader is able to step into antiquity and wonder at the power, subtlety, and passion that was Sappho's contribution to human thought.
Think on that a moment. Though some pages only contain a couple of words, there is power in them. Just knowing that Plato, Horace, and Aristotle held her in high esteem, Roman emperors quoted her, and she was counted among the ancient muses, speaks directly to her influence as a lyricist and poet.
There are those few out there who look at the pages of If Not, Winter, and see . . . not much. To them: Please go back. Take another look. It grows on you in a way that is indescribable.
I'm rambling, I know, so here's the deal -- This book captures Sappho in a way that others have not. The fragments stand on their own, allowing the reader's mind to wander and imagine. Carson has allowed the poet to speak, and it's like catching fragments of conversation from someone that has a way more interesting life than you, and you just want to listen and absorb and wonder. I have used this collection in my classroom on a regular basis. I compare it with contemporary poetry (Sappho still more than holds her own, by the way), and as prompts for journal writing. The book has gone home with scores of students, and many more have purchased their own copies.
I rarely give five star reviews. I reserve those for works or products that are truly amazing and impactful -- not perfect, mind you, but a beautiful example of homo-faber. If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho, by Anne Carson, is doubly that.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Simply Lovely
Comment: This collection of fragments is simply majestic. While I can't help feeling a loss for what didn't survive, Carson's presentation is rich with possibilities.
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