Sappho Biography
Sappho lived around 600BC on her native island of Lesbos - a large Greek island in the Aegean sea.
She lived a privileged life in the aristocratic circles of Lesbos. Before being exiled along with the rest of her society, she led a group of young woman who met to discuss literature, social skills and religious knowledge. It was kind of an informal finishing school of the day.
Sappho is most famous for her vast body of literature, most of which was later lost. She wrote many passionate poems, often dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, sexual desire and beauty. Her poems also reflect a homoerotic bond with her young female admirers. Sappho is widely regarded as the pre-eminent pioneer of Lesbian literature. This reputation caused her works to be ignored in later times when her frank expression of sexuality was not welcomed.
One legend claims Sappho died by throwing herself off a rock in despair over a lost love for a sailor called Phaon. However, like many details of her life it is difficult to be sure.