Sappho's Gymnasium

by Olga Broumas, T. Begley

collaborative poems in Sapphic idiom

Genres: Poetry, LGBT, Lesbian

185 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Bree Hatfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Queer poetry, specifically sapphic poetry, is always great to read. Even when the style isn’t my preference, I always love supporting and reading queer poets. I was recommended this by a friend, and I was intrigued at the casual style — mostly all lowercase, no titles, short poems. At first glance I thought this was a Kaur-inspired work of instapoetry, but then saw that it was published in 1994. That had me intrigued; I love instapoetry as it is, but I didn’t realize poetry of the sort was being written in the ‘90s! After reading this book, I have a few thoughts. Firstly, there is no punctuation at all, none throughout the entire book. Sometimes line breaks stand in for punctuation, but sometimes not. That got on my nerves a little, but I understand the appeal, it’s a valid artistic choice. There were quite a few poems I really really loved though, particularly in the latter half. If it weren’t for the lack of punctuation, it would be a 4.5 star read — but the style just isn’t for me. If you don’t mind, though, I absolutely recommend this collection!

[l · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should have a poetry-I-don't-quite-understand-but-like-anyway shelf.

"I saw her foot
then a church burning down
with its figure of water then star starkness
she is all I was dead but I was born again
head to guts in her blanket"
- from 'Helen Groves'

[H]

“I don’t know virgin/ when I was made I was made”

“Sophia I said I have amassed/ the mysteries/ let go your hammering/ I can aim in any direction and miss/ and miss every time/ with effort/ I can miss with effort/ back of my hand/ back of my head/ no matter how painful/ dancing in your mirror/ because it is my mirror/ if it came from my heart” (52)

“Outside memory worship never dies” (99)

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to distance myself from this incredibly intimate book of poems enough to write a cogent review so soon after having read it. The use of language is beautiful in the extreme, the relationship with words and similar sounds profound and positively intoxicating. It's a hard book to read, as it is highly evocative, exclusively about difficult topics like sexuality, incest, and intimacy, without ever being explicit, with two or three very striking and powerful exceptions. I am very glad I own this volume rather than having borrowed it, as I look forward to reading it again many times. I wonder how it will strike me when I have more age and experience as a human being.

[Meg Ready · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a translation of Sappho, but a collaboration between two poets in the style of Sappho. A wonderful collection filled with bizarre lyric moments that plummet the reader head first into the unapologetic realm of the erotic-apocalyptic.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so into Olga Broumas in the 90s.

[Jennifer Skogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cool if read very slowly, on a train.