How to Be Queer, Sarah Nooter
How to Be Queer, Sarah Nooter
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How to Be Queer
An Ancient Guide to Sexuality (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers)

Author: Sarah Nooter

Narrator: Paul Boehmer

Unabridged: 3 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/11/2024

Synopsis

The idea of sexual fluidity may seem new, but it is at least as old as the ancient Greeks, who wrote about queer experiences with remarkable frankness, wit, and insight. How to Be Queer is an infatuating collection of these writings about desire, love, and lust between men, between women, and between humans and gods, in lucid and lively new translations.

How to Be Queer starts with Homer's Iliad and moves through lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, philosophy, and biography, drawing on a wide range of authors, including Sappho, Plato, Anacreon, Pindar, Theognis, Aristophanes, and Xenophon. It features both beautiful poetry and thought-provoking prose, emotional outpourings and humorous anecdotes. From Homer's story of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, one of the most intense between men in world literature, to Sappho's lyrics on the pleasures and pains of loving women, these writings show the many meanings of what the Greeks called eros.

Complete with brief introductions to the selections, How to Be Queer reveals what the Greeks knew long ago—that the erotic and queer are a source of life and a cause for celebration.

About Sarah Nooter

Sarah Nooter is professor of classics and theater and performance studies at the University of Chicago. She is the author of Greek Poetry in the Age of Ephemerality, The Mortal Voice in the Tragedies of Aeschylus, and When Heroes Sing: Sophocles and the Shifting Soundscape of Tragedy.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Oli on August 22, 2024

3.5 stars Damn those Greeks were down bad for men I wanna see some crazy Tumblr-iffied version of Plato, Socrates and Alcibiades now Only note about the overall book is there really isn't much Sappho in it's pages but the translation is thorough and well done......more

Goodreads review by Jordy on February 16, 2025

This was such a great translation! I would like it if there were more descriptive introductions to the chapters, but otherwise this was informative and lovely.......more

Goodreads review by Aimee on December 15, 2024

Mostly passages in Greek with translations and limited analysis. Not enough context for me, but I found some of the passages interesting......more

Goodreads review by Alexis on August 07, 2024

Wonderful anthology of queer excerpts from Ancient Greece. I wish the introductions for each text was longer. That being said, each introduction gave me enough context to boldly tackle the ancient writings. I was pleasantly surprised by all of the queer Greek history that the American education syst......more

Goodreads review by Jane on December 07, 2024

I maintain that Theognis of Megara needs to learn how to accept rejection. Maybe he doesn't want you not because he is fickle and young but bc u're ugly?? like for real this book said it wasn't glossing over the problematic aspect of ancient sources and it did not lie oop anyway, shout out to the woma......more

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