Books by Anne Carson

* The definitive and ONLY complete translation of Sappho, by one of the world's greatest living poets

In this extraordinary epic poem, Anne Carson bridges the gap between classicism and the modern, poetry and prose, with a volcanic journey into the soul of a winged red monster named Geryon.

In myth Herakles is an embodiment of manly violence who returns home after years of making war on enemies and monsters (his famous "Labours of Herakles") to find he cannot adapt himself to a life of peacetime domesticity.

The insights presented in the volume are many and wide-ranging, recognizably in tune with the subtlest modern discussions of desire (such as triangulation. or loving what others love), yet offering new solutions to old problems, like the proper interpretation of Plato's Phaedrus. On the frequently discussed effect of literacy on Greek civilization, the book offers a fresh view: it was no accident that the poets who invented Eros were also the first readers and writers of the Western literate tradition.Originally published in 1986.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This new comic-book version of Euripides' classic The Trojan Women follows the fates of Hekabe, Andromache and Kassandra after Troy has been sacked and all its men killed. The Trojan Women is a wildly imaginative collaboration between the visual artist Rosanna Bruno and the poet and classicist Anne Carson.

Sometimes the best of friends come from the unlikeliest of places, and from deep love, one gains courage--even enough to change an entire town including the lives of two recovering alcoholics and eight at-risk, over the edge, high school seniors. But how is that possible?Ten-year-old Cody has spunk. He lives for finding his next adventure, whether it's playing basketball with the older kids or marveling the other kids with his card tricks. Cody's spirit never waivers even after he receives news of a terrible diagnosis, and the last thing he wants to be known as is the kid with cancer. But news travels fast in a small suburban town, and that's exactly what Cody becomes. That is, until he makes a new, unexpected friend. "Tomato Man," as Cody calls him, is Cody's golden ticket to being cool again. While their quirky bond grows, the tomato vendor shows Cody all kinds of things: a hip hop dance routine, fashion trends that soon catch on with the whole school, and even rides on the back of Tomato Man's impressive motorcycle!Cody's friendship with Tomato Man takes on a new dimension when Cody bravely defends his friend from the town's real estate tycoon and the two become a longed for duo, even to those in the detention center, as they make rounds on the supercharged motorcycle, spreading good will and fresh vegetables. Then, tragedy suddenly strikes! With a small town left reeling, can Cody and Tomato Man's legacy continue?"A beloved child dies of cancer. Will he be forgotten, or will his legacy help other young people build better lives, and bring hope and joy to a community? In Watch Keepers, Anne Carson has told a poignant story of love and healing. It will inspire readers of all ages, and--who knows?--perhaps encourage someone somewhere to create a watch-keepers program for his community." -Dee McRea, former Associate Editor, Associate for Reviews, Smithsonian Magazine"Watch Keepers is a beautiful blend of joy, adventure, sadness and hope. The characters have had quite an impact on me as they have inspired self-reflection as well as a sense of connection to their struggles and achievements. Watch Keepers is unique in that it is an appealing read for all ages!" -Melinda Ruppert, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Mechanicsville, Maryland"As a librarian, I am often approached by parents seeking a book that will present positive role models for their children. Watch Keepers is a book that will keep young readers engaged by an interesting plot, absorbing characters and an inspiring message. Highly recommended. -Robert Gatton, Children's Librarian, Calvert County Public Library, Maryland"It is unusual to find a novel for young readers that helps them to understand themselves as individuals, family members and contributing members of the community. The Watch Keepers is a powerful antidote to the negative images that so often confront our children. The book does not flinch from presenting personal dilemmas and difficult situations, but ultimately shows the reader that it is possible to transcend difficulties through positive actions with their peers, through the guidance of compassionate adults." L. Steven Berns, LCSW-C, JD Psychotherapist, Solomons, Maryland"After reading the book, I had a new understanding of true friendship and the commitment it takes. I really enjoyed the book and found it encouraging to have such a young kid have the heart to do good for others." Cameron Barford, Ryken High School, Leonardtown, Maryland

A poetic meditation on the power of female beauty by Anne Carson.

The ancient Greek lyric poet Simonides of Keos was the first poet in the Western tradition to take money for poetic composition. From this starting point, Anne Carson launches an exploration, poetic in its own right, of the idea of poetic economy. She offers a reading of certain of Simonides' texts and aligns these with writings of the modern Romanian poet Paul Celan, a Jew and survivor of the Holocaust, whose "e;economies"e; of language are notorious. Asking such questions as, What is lost when words are wasted? and Who profits when words are saved? Carson reveals the two poets' striking commonalities. In Carson's view Simonides and Celan share a similar mentality or disposition toward the world, language and the work of the poet. Economy of the Unlost begins by showing how each of the two poets stands in a state of alienation between two worlds. In Simonides' case, the gift economy of fifth-century b.c. Greece was giving way to one based on money and commodities, while Celan's life spanned pre- and post-Holocaust worlds, and he himself, writing in German, became estranged from his native language. Carson goes on to consider various aspects of the two poets' techniques for coming to grips with the invisible through the visible world. A focus on the genre of the epitaph grants insights into the kinds of exchange the poets envision between the living and the dead. Assessing the impact on Simonidean composition of the material fact of inscription on stone, Carson suggests that a need for brevity influenced the exactitude and clarity of Simonides' style, and proposes a comparison with Celan's interest in the "e;negative design"e; of printmaking: both poets, though in different ways, employ a kind of negative image making, cutting away all that is superfluous. This book's juxtaposition of the two poets illuminates their differences--Simonides' fundamental faith in the power of the word, Celan's ultimate despair--as well as their similarities; it provides fertile ground for the virtuosic interplay of Carson's scholarship and her poetic sensibility.

In a stunningly original mix of poetry, drama, and narrative, Anne Carson brings the red-winged Geryon from Autobiography of Red, now called 'G', into manhood, and through the complex labyrinths of the modern age.

The poetry and prose collected in Plainwater are a testament to the extraordinary imagination of Anne Carson, a writer described by Michael Ondaatje as "the most exciting poet writing in English today." Succinct and astonishingly beautiful, these pieces stretch the boundaries of language and literary form, while juxtaposing classical and modern traditions. Carson envisions a present-day interview with a seventh-century BC poet, and offers miniature lectures on topics as varied as orchids and Ovid. She imagines the muse of a fifteenth-century painter attending a phenomenology conference in Italy. She constructs verbal photographs of a series of mysterious towns, and takes us on a pilgrimage in pursuit of the elusive and intimate anthropology of water. Blending the rhythm and vivid metaphor of poetry with the discursive nature of the essay, the writings in Plainwater dazzle us with their invention and enlighten us with their erudition.

Anne Carson' s first full-length publication in Britain, Glass and God introduces an assured and challenging new voice: vivid, laconic, precise. Blending the modern and the classical, Anne Carson writes with an intensity and an integrity that is transfiguring.