Sdrolia Magdalini

My poems are inspired by Sappho. Fragment 171, a fragment where melancholy and loss resonate, reminded me of a theme which was very popular in Ancient times; the theme of unrequited love and the feelings of betrayal and loss that accompanied it. Drawing on the story of the Trojan prince Paris and his first wife Oenone, the first poem is about a different type of unrequited love which led to tragedy.

The second poem focuses on the concept of lesbian love, a topic which was heavily ignored in Ancient Greece, just like female sexuality. Sappho is considered the most important spokesperson of lesbian love, while ancient myths refer to the legend of Callisto, a young girl who lost her life due to her forbidden love. This poem emerged out of Sappho’s fragment 175 and Callisto’s story, a tragic tale of love and betrayal, which blends male and female sexuality, and plays with the concept of dominance-submission.

By Magdalini Sdrolia