AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RED
Autobiography of Red
A profound reimagining of myth, desire, and the art of seeing
Published in 1998, Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson is a breathtaking work that defies simple categorization. Part novel, part poem, and part scholarly essay, it is a modern verse novel that reimagines a fragment of ancient Greek mythology through a deeply contemporary and sensitive lens. Carson breathes new life into the story of Geryon, a red-winged monster whom Herakles (Hercules) was tasked to kill in his tenth labor.
In Carson’s hands, Geryon is not a terrifying beast, but a vulnerable, artistic boy—still red and winged—growing up in a modern world. He finds solace in photography and falls into a devastating, transformative love with a young drifter named Herakles. The narrative follows Geryon’s journey through adolescence and adulthood, exploring his struggle to understand his own nature and the searing pain of unrequited or impossible love.
The book is celebrated for its startlingly beautiful prose and its intellectual depth. Carson weaves together themes of time, volcanoes, photography, and the limitations of language, creating a tapestry that is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally resonant. It is a meditation on what it means to be "other" and how we use art to capture the fleeting, often painful beauty of existence.
Artistic Insight
Carson’s use of color, specifically red, acts as a visceral anchor throughout the text. It represents Geryon’s physical self, his passion, and his suffering. By merging ancient myth with a modern setting (including mentions of Canada and Buenos Aires), she proves that certain human experiences—like the ache of love and the search for identity—remain unchanged across millennia.
The novel invites the reader to look at the "monster" and see the human within, ultimately questioning our own perceptions of beauty and normalcy. It is a book that demands to be read slowly, as every line carries the weight of a photograph.