
How to Be Queer
An Ancient Guide to Sexuality
Sappho(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 4. June 2024
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-0-691-24861-5 (ISBN)
Description
An irresistible anthology of ancient Greek writings that explore queer desire and love
Eros, limb-loosening, whirls me about again,
that bittersweet, implacable creature.
-Sappho
The idea of sexual fluidity may seem new, but it is at least as old as the ancient Greeks, who wrote about queer experiences with remarkable frankness, wit, and insight. How to Be Queer is an infatuating collection of these writings about desire, love, and lust between men, between women, and between humans and gods, in lucid and lively new translations. Filled with enthralling stories, this anthology invites readers of all sexualities and identities to explore writings that describe many kinds of erotic encounters and feelings, and that envision a playful and passionate approach to sexuality as part of a rich and fulfilling life.
How to Be Queer starts with Homer's Iliad and moves through lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, philosophy, and biography, drawing on a wide range of authors, including Sappho, Plato, Anacreon, Pindar, Theognis, Aristophanes, and Xenophon. It features both beautiful poetry and thought-provoking prose, emotional outpourings and humorous anecdotes. From Homer's story of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, one of the most intense between men in world literature, to Sappho's lyrics on the pleasures and pains of loving women, these writings show the many meanings of what the Greeks called eros.
Complete with brief introductions to the selections, and with the original Greek on facing pages, How to Be Queer reveals what the Greeks knew long ago-that the erotic and queer are a source of life and a cause for celebration.
Eros, limb-loosening, whirls me about again,
that bittersweet, implacable creature.
-Sappho
The idea of sexual fluidity may seem new, but it is at least as old as the ancient Greeks, who wrote about queer experiences with remarkable frankness, wit, and insight. How to Be Queer is an infatuating collection of these writings about desire, love, and lust between men, between women, and between humans and gods, in lucid and lively new translations. Filled with enthralling stories, this anthology invites readers of all sexualities and identities to explore writings that describe many kinds of erotic encounters and feelings, and that envision a playful and passionate approach to sexuality as part of a rich and fulfilling life.
How to Be Queer starts with Homer's Iliad and moves through lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, philosophy, and biography, drawing on a wide range of authors, including Sappho, Plato, Anacreon, Pindar, Theognis, Aristophanes, and Xenophon. It features both beautiful poetry and thought-provoking prose, emotional outpourings and humorous anecdotes. From Homer's story of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, one of the most intense between men in world literature, to Sappho's lyrics on the pleasures and pains of loving women, these writings show the many meanings of what the Greeks called eros.
Complete with brief introductions to the selections, and with the original Greek on facing pages, How to Be Queer reveals what the Greeks knew long ago-that the erotic and queer are a source of life and a cause for celebration.
Reviews / Votes
"How to be Queer is an elegantly presented book, evoking thoughtful consideration of queerness and sexuality. With a constant return to modernity . . . a simple point is enforced; we are not all that different from the ancient world . . . [it] makes for a delightful reading experience, and can be enjoyed by anybody, no matter their identity."---Jaiden Griffin, Redbrick "Delightfully provocative. . . . smartly-chosen and cleverly-organized. . . . Nooter's translations from the Greek are impressively both faithful to the original and comprehensible and pleasant to read for the language-less"---Daniel Libatique, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 175 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
252 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-24861-5 (9780691248615)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2024
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€17.49
Available for download
Persons
Sarah Nooter is professor of classics and theater and performance studies at the University of Chicago. She is the author of Greek Poetry in the Age of Ephemerality, The Mortal Voice in the Tragedies of Aeschylus, and When Heroes Sing: Sophocles and the Shifting Soundscape of Tragedy.