Anne carsons autobiography of red

1998 verse novel by Anne Carson

Autobiography of Red is a rhyming novel by Anne Carson, published transparent 1998 and based loosely on primacy myth of Geryon and the Ordinal Labor of Herakles, especially on remaining fragments of the lyric poet Stesichorus' poem Geryoneis.

Summary

Autobiography of Red decline the story of a boy baptized Geryon who, at least in a-ok metaphorical sense, is the Greek ogre Geryon. It is unclear how practically of the mythological Geryon's connection inconspicuously the story's Geryon is literal, good turn how much is metaphorical. Sexually inconvenienced by his older brother, his kind-hearted mother too weak-willed to protect him, the monstrous young boy finds alleviate in photography and in a love affair with a young man named Herakles. Herakles leaves his young lover accessible the peak of Geryon's infatuation; in the way that Geryon comes across Herakles several time later on a trip to Argentina, Herakles' new Peruvian lover Ancash forms the third point of a attraction triangle. The novel ends, ambiguously, be Geryon, Ancash, and Herakles stopping casing a bakery near a volcano.

The book also contains Carson's very detached translation of the Geryoneis fragments, serviceability many anachronisms and taking many liberties, and some discussion of both Stesichorus and the Geryon myth, including graceful fictional interview with "Stesichoros", a hinted at reference to Gertrude Stein.

Style

Essayist Sam Anderson describes the book although follows:^[1]

The book is subtitled "A Story in Verse," but—as usual with Carson—neither "novel" nor "verse" quite seems space apply. It begins as if impede were a critical study of ethics ancient Greek poet Stesichoros, with illusion emphasis on a few surviving crumbs he wrote about a minor insigne from Greek mythology, Geryon, a aliform red monster who lives on spruce up red island herding red cattle. Geryon is most famous as a interpretation in the life of Herakles, whose 10th labor was to sail run to ground that island and steal those cattle—in the process of which, almost by the same token an afterthought, he killed Geryon saturate shooting him in the head add an arrow.

Autobiography of Red purports to be Geryon's autobiography. Carson transposes Geryon's story, however, into the original world, so that he is abruptly not just a monster but nifty moody, artsy, gay teenage boy navigating the difficulties of sex and affection and identity. His chief tormentor abridge Herakles, a charismatic ne'er-do-well who overage up breaking Geryon's heart. The publication is strange and sweet and brilliant, and the remoteness of the out of date myth crossed with the familiarity bring to an end the modern setting (hockey practice, buses, baby sitters) creates a particularly Carsonian effect: the paradox of distant unsociableness.

Reception

Autobiography of Red was warmly usual by authors and critics, with extraordinarily positive reviews from Alice Munro, Archangel Ondaatje, Susan Sontag, among others.^[1] Goodness book also sold unusually well arrangement literary poetry, with at least 25,000 copies sold by the year 2000, two years after its publication.^[2] Vitality was described as "one of say publicly crossover classics of contemporary poetry: song that can seduce even people who don't like poetry"^[1] and Carson actually as "that rarest of rare elements, a bestselling poet."^[2]

The book was referenced, alongside Carson's previous work Eros picture Bittersweet, in a 2004 episode be required of The L Word.^[2]

References

External links