Sappho's Journal by Paul Alexander Bartlett

(4 User reviews)   2764
By Abil Kile Posted on Nov 15, 2025
In Category - Neval
Bartlett, Paul Alexander, 1909-1990 Bartlett, Paul Alexander, 1909-1990
English
Hey, I just finished a book that completely surprised me. Imagine if we found the personal diary of Sappho, the ancient Greek poet whose work was mostly lost to time. That's the brilliant premise of 'Sappho's Journal.' It's not a dry history lesson; it feels like you've discovered a secret, intimate portal to the 6th century BC. Through her own imagined words, we meet Sappho not as a distant legend, but as a real woman—a teacher, a lover, an artist wrestling with passion, jealousy, and the creative fire that made her famous. It’s a beautiful, haunting guess at what might have been in those lost poems.
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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number, which is 2006025662.  ABOUT AUTOGRAPH EDITIONS Autograph Editions is committed to bringing readers some of the best of fine quality contemporary literature in unique, beautifully designed books, many of them illustrated with original art specially created for each book. Each of our books aspires to be a work of art in itself—in both its content and its design. The press was established in 1975. Over the years Autograph Editions has published a variety of distinguished and widely commended books of fiction and poetry. Our most recent publication is the remarkable quintet, Voices from the Past, by bestselling author Paul Alexander Bartlett, whose novel, When the Owl Cries, has been widely acclaimed by many authors, reviewers, and critics, among them James Michener, Pearl S. Buck, Ford Madox Ford, Charles Poore, James Purdy, Russell Kirk, Michael Fraenkel, and many others. EBOOK NOTICE I n addition to this book’s availability in a printed edition, the copyright holder has chosen to issue this work as an eBook through Public Domain Archive as a free open access publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license, which allows anyone to distribute this work without changes to its content, provided that both the author and the original URL from which this work was obtained are mentioned, that the contents of this work are not used for commercial purposes or profit, and that this work will not be used without the copyright holder’s written permission in derivative works (i.e., you may not alter, transform, or build upon this work without such permission). The full legal statement of this license may be found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/legalcode SAPPHO’S JOURNAL BOOKS BY PAUL ALEXANDER BARTLETT NOVELS VOICES FROM THE PAST: Sappho’s Journal  Christ’s Journal  Leonardo da Vinci’s Journal Shakespeare’s Journal  Lincoln’s Journal When the Owl Cries Adiós Mi México Forward, Children! POETRY Wherehill Spokes for Memory NONFICTION The Haciendas of Mexico: An Artist’s Record SAPPHO’S JOURNAL by PAUL ALEXANDER BARTLETT and Illustrated by the Author Edited by STEVEN JAMES BARTLETT with a FOREWORD by WILLIS BARNSTONE “Violet-haired, pure honey-smiling Sappho” – Alcaeus AUTOGRAPH EDITIONS Salem, Oregon AUTOGRAPH EDITIONS P. O. Box 6141  Salem, Oregon 97304  Established 1975  This book is protected by copyright. No part may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. Copyright © 2007 by Steven James Bartlett First Edition ISBN 978-0-6151-5646-0 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006025662 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Bartlett, Paul Alexander. Sappho's journal / by Paul Alexander Bartlett and illustrated by the author ; edited by Steven James Bartlett ; with a foreword by Willis Barnstone. -- 1st ed. p. cm. Summary: "A historical novel that recounts the life, thought, and times of the Greek poet Sappho of Lesbos, based on a study of ancient Greece and Sappho's surviving fragments of poetry"--Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-0-6151-5646-0 1. Sappho--Fiction. I. Bartlett, Steven J. II. Title. PS3602.A8396S27 2006 813'.6--dc22 2006025662 CONTENTS FOREWORD by Willis Barnstone xi PREFACE by Steven James Bartlett xiii SAPPHO’S JOURNAL 1 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 151 COLOPHON 153 FOREWORD Willis Barnstone Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature Indiana University P aul Alexander Bartlett’s journal of Sappho is a masterful work. I had recently completed a translation of the extant lines of Sappho and am familiar with his problems. He was faced with the almost impossible task of reconstructing the personality of Sappho and her background in ancient Lesbos. To my happy surprise he did so, in a work which is at once poetic, dramatic and powerful. In...

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Paul Alexander Bartlett takes a bold and imaginative leap with this book. He presents it as the translated journal of the real Sappho, discovered centuries later. We follow her daily life on the island of Lesbos, not as a mythical figure, but as a person. We see her running a school for young women, composing her lyric poems, and navigating complex relationships within her community. The journal format pulls you right into her world, with its vivid details of ancient life, fierce emotions, and the quiet moments of artistic struggle.

Why You Should Read It

This book makes Sappho real. Bartlett’s great strength is making her voice feel authentic and immediate. You get her sharp observations, her vulnerabilities, and the intensity of her feelings—both for her art and for the people around her. It’s a powerful exploration of creativity itself: where poems come from, the cost of being an artist, and the desire to capture a fleeting moment or emotion in words that last forever. It fills a historical void with compelling, believable life.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who loves historical fiction that feels personal, or for readers curious about the ancient world beyond battles and kings. If you’ve ever wondered about the woman behind the fragments of poetry, this book offers a poignant, deeply human answer. It’s a quiet, thoughtful read that stays with you, a lovely tribute to one of history's great lost voices.



🔓 Public Domain Notice

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Ava Martin
1 year ago

This is one of those stories where the storytelling feels authentic and emotionally grounded. A true masterpiece.

Emily Flores
1 year ago

Five stars!

Emma Scott
1 year ago

From the very first page, the arguments are well-supported by credible references. I couldn't put it down.

Melissa Perez
1 year ago

I started reading out of curiosity and the flow of the text seems very fluid. A valuable addition to my collection.

4.5
4.5 out of 5 (4 User reviews )

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