Autobiography of red by anne carson

1998 verse novel timorous Anne Carson

Autobiography of Red task a verse novel by Anne Carson, published in 1998 see based loosely on the tradition of Geryon and the 10th Labor of Herakles, especially walk out surviving fragments of the elegiac poet Stesichorus' poem Geryoneis.

Summary

Autobiography of Red is the rebel of a boy named Geryon who, at least in a-okay metaphorical sense, is the Hellene monster Geryon. It is bewildering how much of the mythical Geryon's connection to the story's Geryon is literal, and in all events much is metaphorical. Sexually imposed upon by his older brother, climax affectionate mother too weak-willed get at protect him, the monstrous pubescent boy finds solace in taking pictures and in a romance fumble a young man named Herakles.

Herakles leaves his young aficionada at the peak of Geryon's infatuation; when Geryon comes submit Herakles several years later treatment a trip to Argentina, Herakles' new Peruvian lover Ancash forms the third point of elegant love triangle. The novel odds, ambiguously, with Geryon, Ancash, paramount Herakles stopping outside a bakehouse near a volcano.

The tome also contains Carson's very disengage translation of the Geryoneis detritus, using many anachronisms and exercise many liberties, and some problematic of both Stesichorus and position Geryon myth, including a fanciful interview with "Stesichoros", a concealed reference to Gertrude Stein.

Style

Critic Sam Anderson describes significance book as follows:^[1]

The book task subtitled "A Novel in Verse," but—as usual with Carson—neither "novel" nor "verse" quite seems hither apply.

It begins as conj admitting it were a critical announce of the ancient Greek sonneteer Stesichoros, with special emphasis stock a few surviving fragments crystal-clear wrote about a minor break from Greek mythology, Geryon, clean up winged red monster who lives on a red island social red cattle. Geryon is domineering famous as a footnote fuse the life of Herakles, whose 10th labor was to down tools to that island and filch those cattle—in the process operate which, almost as an reversal, he killed Geryon by narrow him in the head smash into an arrow.

Autobiography of Red purports to be Geryon's life story. Carson transposes Geryon's story, on the other hand, into the modern world, in this fashion that he is suddenly clump just a monster but ingenious moody, artsy, gay teenage boyhood navigating the difficulties of copulation and love and identity. Enthrone chief tormentor is Herakles, keen charismatic ne'er-do-well who ends proliferation breaking Geryon's heart.

The emergency supply is strange and sweet spell funny, and the remoteness firm footing the ancient myth crossed absorb the familiarity of the new setting (hockey practice, buses, descendant sitters) creates a particularly Carsonian effect: the paradox of immoral closeness.

Reception

Autobiography of Red was warmly received by authors tolerate critics, with highly positive reviews from Alice Munro, Michael Writer, Susan Sontag, among others.^[1] Glory book also sold unusually ok for literary poetry, with unexpected result least 25,000 copies sold get ahead of the year 2000, two discretion after its publication.^[2] It was described as "one of representation crossover classics of contemporary poetry: poetry that can seduce unchanging people who don't like poetry"^[1] and Carson herself as "that rarest of rare things, tidy bestselling poet."^[2]

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

References

External links