Being Queer like the Ancients

by Various

Being Queer is a captivating collection that delves into the rich tapestry of queer love in antiquity, shedding light on the lives and works of poets and playwrights who boldly expressed same-sex desire. From the passionate verses of Sappho of Lesbos, whose lyric poetry celebrates love between women, to the nuanced portrayals of male friendship and romance in Greek tragedy and comedy, the ancient world was a vibrant landscape of diverse sexual identities and expressions.
By examining these ancient texts and their historical contexts, this volume uncovers the enduring legacy of queer identities and love stories that continue to resonate today. It invites readers to reconsider the diversity of human desire in the classical era and appreciate the ways in which these pioneers of expression paved the way for ongoing conversations about sexuality, identity, and love across cultures and centuries.

208 pages, Paperback

Published June 19, 2025

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Carmen Jürna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book turned out to be not what I had expected; objectively it's not a bad book, but subjectively I was left kind of disappointed after reading it. I was expecting some deeper commentary and that the author would delve deeper into the texts and maybe offer their opinions and thoughts but the book worked more like a collection of stories than anything else.
Putting aside my beliefs on the book, I really do think that this is a good book for someone who would like to learn more about ancient Greece and its culture but is unsure of where to begin.

[Madison Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes out to everyone that I forced to listen to my quotes and analysis of Plato’s Symposium. I love yall

[Yi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, a collection of relevant ancients texts on queer topic with some simple intro and summary. It’s good that I was introduced some interesting anecdotes and works of Sappho, however I expected a more original and in-depth analysis. The writing feels like ChatGPT generated