Though her people exiled her to Sicily, the Hellenistic Alexandria scholars dubbed her one of the Nine Lyric Poets.
Only a few of her poems survived intact, including her most famous, “Ode to Aphrodite,” and another that was discovered in 2014 dubbed “Brothers Poem.” Most of her work focused on love and religion, and she’s revered for her sharp imagery. Though her people exiled her to Sicily, the Hellenistic Alexandria scholars dubbed her one of the Nine Lyric Poets. Legend has it she killed herself because she couldn’t be with the man she loved—but her writings about “loving women” coined the term “sapphic” and have made her a lesbian icon. You can read Sappho’s work in the books Stung with Love and If Not, Winter, available from publisher Penguin Random House.