Leontias, Sappho (1832–1900)
Leontias, Sappho (1832–1900)
Greek writer and educator . Born in Constantinople (now Istanbul), in 1832; died in 1900.
Well educated in her native Istanbul, Sappho Leontias spent many years as the head-mistress of several girls' schools on the Greek islands. Considered one of the few enlightened women of her time, she viewed education as a means for women to improve their status within Greek society. Leontias fought hard for equal educational rights for women, lecturing on the subject and publishing the literary journal Euridice, which printed women's literary efforts and published works written in the Greek vernacular, or the common language. (At the time, there was controversy between those who advocated the strict use of katharevousa [pure Greek], and those who preferred the spoken language of the people.) Leontias believed strongly that the vernacular should be used in the schools and introduced the Greek classics in modern translation into the curriculum. She translated Aeschylus' The Persians into modern Greek, as well as Racine's Esther from the French. Well-spoken and pragmatic in her approach, Leontias participated in numerous open debates on the language controversy and wrote many works on the subject of education. She died in 1900.