A book about love as seen by the ancients, Eros is Anne Carson's exploration of the concept of "eros" in both classical philosophy and literature. Beginning with: "It was Sappho who first called eros 'bittersweet.' No one who has been in love disputes her. What does the word mean?", Carson examines her subject from numerous points of view and styles, transcending the constraints of the scholarly exercise for an evocative and lyrical meditation in the tradition of William Carlos William's Spring and All and William H. Gass's On Being Blue.
Epigrammatic, witty, ironic, and endlessly interesting, Eros is an utterly original book by an author whose acclaim has been steadily growing since the book was first published in 1986 by Johns Hopkins.
"Anne Carson is a rare talent—brilliant and full of wit, passionate and also deeply moving." (Michael Ondaatje)
"The author combines critical insight, poetic sensibility, and intimate knowledge of classical literature to discuss eros, admittedly one of the richest themes common to both literary imagination and philosophical quest. The passages quoted, from Homer to Augustine, are accurately translated; they illustrate the multifaceted nature of eros and also provide a point of departure for expansive explorations into the depths of erotic myth and motive. Highly recommended." (Choice 12-86)
"There is a fine beauty to the work, and it deserves reading." (Library Journal 11-15-86)
"Carson is intensely expressive of the literary culture of the end of our century in the way she leads us to think about our own thinking. This is an engaging short book, as packed with nourishment as a nut with meat." (Beloit Poetry Journal Summer 1998)
