The First Poets: Lives Of The Ancient Greek Poets - Hardcover

Schmidt (writing, Manchester Metropolitan U.) relates what is known about the lives of 25 poets or groups of poets, but what is known most about them are the poems that were written and have survived, and so they consume most of his attention. He begins of course with Orpheus of Thrace. Others of the better known include Homer, Hesiod, Alcaeus of Mytilene, Sappho of Eressus, Solon of Athens, Anacreon of Teos, Pindar of Thebes, and Apollonius of Rhodes. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Michael Schmidt is the editor of PN Review, and editorial and managing director of Carcanet Press. He lives in Manchester, England, where he is the director of the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Michael Schmidt’s Lives of the Poets is available in Vintage paperback.