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Autobiography of Red
by
Anne Carson
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
National book Critics Circle Award Finalist
"Anne Carson is, for me, the most exciting poet writing in English today."--Michael Ondaatje
"This book is amazing--I haven't discovered any writing in years so marvelously disturbing." --Alice Munro
The award-winning poet Anne Carson reinvents a genre in Autobiography of Red,...more
National book Critics Circle Award Finalist
"Anne Carson is, for me, the most exciting poet writing in English today."--Michael Ondaatje
"This book is amazing--I haven't discovered any writing in years so marvelously disturbing." --Alice Munro
The award-winning poet Anne Carson reinvents a genre in Autobiography of Red,...more
Paperback, 149 pages
Published
July 27th 1999
by Vintage
(first published March 31st 1998)
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I have no critical eye for poetry. I read it and love it or I am bored by it. It pulls at me and I can't translate the feeling of that pull into words of my own. Maybe, it is like standing just within the water at the shoreline, up to my knees, and feeling the tide pulling at my calves. If I take another step in, I will lose my balance and I will be pulled down. I read poetry from that place, still on the safe side of the tide, and at some point, I either let myself go, or decide to stand firm. ...more
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This novel was written for me, it feels. It has the perfect blend of funny and sad, raw and elegant, intellectual and sensual. It blew my mind when I read it. And it's the one of only two books I've re-read several times (Great Expectations being the other.)
There are some clever metafictional framing sections which come at the material from historical and literary angles, but the central section, the heart of the book, is the story, the novel in verse.
"Verse" i...more
There are some clever metafictional framing sections which come at the material from historical and literary angles, but the central section, the heart of the book, is the story, the novel in verse.
"Verse" i...more
Oh, you should read this book. It's smart and sweet and tender and original. It's erotic, but just under your skin. It's a novel in verse, but don't let that deter you. You can pick it up off the shelf and settle into a big armchair in the bookstore and read the whole thing for free in an hour (even relishing and re-reading parts). But then you'll probably want to buy it anyway so that you can take it home and sleep with it under your pillow for the rest of your life.
Most people who know me through work or socially find my cynicism biting yet funny. I get compliments often on my wit, though it is dark and sharp. I'm surprised when people tell me that I'm quite entertaining, because I tend withdrawal and am generally introverted. I have psychological test to back this up. I am forever the INTJ. Sometimes bordering on the J, but never the I.
This review contains, what may seem an infinite narcissistic hall of mirrors, reflecting Fibonacci images of b...more
This review contains, what may seem an infinite narcissistic hall of mirrors, reflecting Fibonacci images of b...more
Not in a long time have I obsessively read anything, just to want to obsessively re-read it all in one fell swoop. There's two parts to this book: first is the meta-writing bit--poem fragments and the like from the original Hercules myth, a writer who goes blind for insulting Helen, and then regains his sight again for rescinding his comment (how very political) and the like. This part is good (not great--just good).
It's the story itself that is absolutely wonderful. Anne Carson...more
It's the story itself that is absolutely wonderful. Anne Carson...more
This hybrid novel / epic poem is one of my favorites. It wreaked havoc on my life, mostly in a good way.
Based on the Greek myth of Herakles (Hercules for all you Romans), it recasts Geryon, the slayed, sheepherding red-winged monster, as a protagonist who also takes form as a gay, socially-marginalized school boy. From the monster's perspective, a story unfolds that is at once disturbing, coruscating, and beautiful.
The way Carson shapes verse awes me, you want to touch h...more
Based on the Greek myth of Herakles (Hercules for all you Romans), it recasts Geryon, the slayed, sheepherding red-winged monster, as a protagonist who also takes form as a gay, socially-marginalized school boy. From the monster's perspective, a story unfolds that is at once disturbing, coruscating, and beautiful.
The way Carson shapes verse awes me, you want to touch h...more
Ceridwen
rated it
Recommends it for:
jo, Elizabeth, Buck, D. Pow, oh just freaking everyone
Recommended to Ceridwen by:
Annie
The semester I spent in London, I went to the British Museum at least three times, which is not nearly enough. Most of the collection of artefacts from ancient Egypt was undergoing some sort of rehab at the time – you know, all the fancy stuff and sarcophogi and things. But there was a small display of everyday items: make-up kits, kitchen tools, hand mirrors, bits of fabric. I, like many kids, went through a pretty serious Egypt phase, but it was mostly centered on the mythology, not the archeo...more
It's not often that a book of poems makes my heart pound.
I started reading it before bed on Sunday night. I was EXCITED TO WAKE UP ON MONDAY MORNING because I couldn't wait to get on the subway and continue reading it. On a Monday. Morning. Enough said?
I started reading it before bed on Sunday night. I was EXCITED TO WAKE UP ON MONDAY MORNING because I couldn't wait to get on the subway and continue reading it. On a Monday. Morning. Enough said?
Meet Geryon: sensitive, stupid boy and winged, red monster. This is the story, written in verse, of his flight from an abusive brother and cipher-like mother. It's the story of Geryon coming to love a young man named Herakles, and losing him, then finding consolation in art, behind the lens of a camera. It's the portrait of an artist as winged, red monster coming of age into self-knowledge and acceptance. Both novel and poem, comedic and tragic, Autobiography of Red rewrites Greek myth in the pr...more
Carson interweaves narrative verse, interview, essay, and syllogism into this book length poem. The result is a flavorful text that finds new ways to engage the reader in discovery.
I found a deep visual connection to the imagery in this book. It is much like a series of photographs. Each poem within the series presents a concentrated sense of image and emotion. It is suggestive of place, not definitive of it. The connections that the reader forms do not always occur in linear ways. I...more
I found a deep visual connection to the imagery in this book. It is much like a series of photographs. Each poem within the series presents a concentrated sense of image and emotion. It is suggestive of place, not definitive of it. The connections that the reader forms do not always occur in linear ways. I...more
A strangely sweet and vexing book. This was given to me years ago by a friend who thought it should be translated into an opera. A curious thought. To describe this book is, in a way, to crash into the wall of having read it. There is a story but, like in many postmodern experimental fiction, the point is language and not the story itself. Carson is known for her poetry and the use of language is gorgeous. The poetic devices sometimes border on modernist (follow the trail of "gold") ev...more
This is a “novel in verse” and a blending of Greek myth and contemporary life.
This is an adaptation of the Geryoneis which was put together by an old poet called Stesichoros [which means "chorus master"]. Unfortunately for him, at least in Anne Carson’s eyes, is the problem of coming “after Homer and before Gertrude Stein, a difficult interval for a poet”. So right off the bat we get two hints at the influences that are going to help drive this work.
Nevertheless, sh...more
This is an adaptation of the Geryoneis which was put together by an old poet called Stesichoros [which means "chorus master"]. Unfortunately for him, at least in Anne Carson’s eyes, is the problem of coming “after Homer and before Gertrude Stein, a difficult interval for a poet”. So right off the bat we get two hints at the influences that are going to help drive this work.
Nevertheless, sh...more
One of my classmates voiced my own thoughts when we were discussing the book in class: "I didn't expect to enjoy it, actually I thought I'd hate it, but it seduced me." It's an autobiography of sorts of Geryon, a mythical monster that Hercules killed as one of his Labors. It took a few pages for me to get into it--mainly because it's written in verse rather than paragraph form, and reading a book of poetry usually makes my eyes cross--but Carson's writing is so lovely and whimsical and...more
"It was the year he began to wonder about the noise that colors make. Roses came roaring across the garden at him.
He lay on his bed at night listening to the silver light of stars crashing against the window screen. Most
of those he interviewed for the science project had to admit they did not hear
the cries of the roses
being burned alive in the noonday sun. Like horses, Geryon would say helpfully,
like horses in war."
Autobiography of Red is unl...more
He lay on his bed at night listening to the silver light of stars crashing against the window screen. Most
of those he interviewed for the science project had to admit they did not hear
the cries of the roses
being burned alive in the noonday sun. Like horses, Geryon would say helpfully,
like horses in war."
Autobiography of Red is unl...more
The book, Autobiography of Red, written by Anne Carson is a very provocative piece. It describes the life of a young boy named Geryon. Whether or not his wings and being red is a metaphor is still unknown. Geryon is quite an intelligent young boy. He is quiet, reserved, but his mind goes 20 miles an hour. In the beginning, Geryon describes himself standing outside of the kindergarten window, not waving, not tapping on the glass...just standing, seeing if anyone will notice him. Later on, the rea...more
A return to life as the semester winds down. This is an incredible book that weaves the ancient and the modern together: a series of poetic fragments and shards strung together to make a novel that is at times humorous and other times poignant. It speaks of volcanoes, the color red, thought, time, sensation (specifically sight and sound) and representation (whether notes, photographs, or recordings). My favorite sentences were:
"We are neighbors of fire."
"I am a...more
"We are neighbors of fire."
"I am a...more
Anne Carson: Autobiography of Red [ISBN: 978-0-224-05973-2]
An amazing book. Poetic, not sure if one would immediately think of it as poetry, though it has a long-line, short line form.
Carson uses fragments from a little known ancient Greek poet Stesichoros – which in itself is a telling of a well-known story from another perspective – and sets it in modern times. A love story of loss? Or maybe a story of the small unknowable space within oneself, lost and missed...
...more
An amazing book. Poetic, not sure if one would immediately think of it as poetry, though it has a long-line, short line form.
Carson uses fragments from a little known ancient Greek poet Stesichoros – which in itself is a telling of a well-known story from another perspective – and sets it in modern times. A love story of loss? Or maybe a story of the small unknowable space within oneself, lost and missed...
...more
Allison: So is it, like, an autobiography of the color red?
Me: No, it's the autobiography of this red, winged monster guy who--
Allison: Oh my god, is he a metaphor for menstruation?!
Me: No, it's the autobiography of this red, winged monster guy who--
Allison: Oh my god, is he a metaphor for menstruation?!
Other Goodreads reviews describe this better than I could, but it's a novel in fragments of verse about Geryon - the back cover calls it "an unconventional re-creation of an ancient Greek myth". Some beautiful writing. Here's one of my favorite bits:
X. SCHOOLING
In those days the police were weak Family was strong
Hand in hand the first day Geryon's mother took him to
School She neatened his little red wings and pushed him
In through the door
...more
X. SCHOOLING
In those days the police were weak Family was strong
Hand in hand the first day Geryon's mother took him to
School She neatened his little red wings and pushed him
In through the door
...more
Amy Chang
marked it as time-s-summer-picks-2009
Colson Whitehead picks Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
It's a novel! It's a book of poetry! It's a novel and a book of poetry! And like all sturdy volumes, it can also serve as a coaster on a hot summer afternoon. The "Red" of the title is Geryon, red-winged monster and minor player in Greek mythology, struck down by Herakles during one of his labors. As this modern Geryon awakens to all the possibility of the world — romantic, erotic, artistic — Carson's playful and mind-...more
It's a novel! It's a book of poetry! It's a novel and a book of poetry! And like all sturdy volumes, it can also serve as a coaster on a hot summer afternoon. The "Red" of the title is Geryon, red-winged monster and minor player in Greek mythology, struck down by Herakles during one of his labors. As this modern Geryon awakens to all the possibility of the world — romantic, erotic, artistic — Carson's playful and mind-...more
what an incredible creative work. In haunting language it pulls buckets of words up from a deep well that drip endlessly about myth,love, memory, truth in reporting, perception, and even good and evil. I've only read "Husband" and "Red" so far and there are interesting thematic parrallels, and even fun little nuggets about the number 29, tangos and its several meanings, and Betrayal with the capital B intentional.
I'm unsure how I missed Anne Carson over these year...more
I'm unsure how I missed Anne Carson over these year...more
I really liked this, as I have all the Carson I've read, but somehow I'm always expecting her to write the thing that I'll love and force upon everyone I know. I'm not sure why. Her work really excites me. I love the experimentation, structural play, genre-bending, and willingness to be strange--to me that's where her real genius lies, more so than in the ideas, language, and ancient Greek, which I like fine but they don't seem to live up to the intellectual cache she receives for them. Why do I...more
This puzzling novel written in poetry is strangely captivating. Although short, it takes time to read and appreciate the language. Geryon talks about his red wings in a scene when he is 5, and I assumed he had a vivid imagination. Geryon falls in love with an older teen and accepts his homosexuality. The wings only appear again at the conclusion when he and his former lover meet in Argentina. It is confusing and beautiful. It was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist in 1998, but...more
Staggeringly good. The first Anne Carson I've ever read, though Skylight Books had an open copy of Nox a few months back which blew me away over my quick perusal. Read this in a single day last week between everything else I was doing. Not sure I can provide a traditional review here, but what I can say is in list form:
1) It began with elementary school mythology primers, high school Latin and reading Vergil in the original till the dactyls sung in my brain (you will never talk me...more
1) It began with elementary school mythology primers, high school Latin and reading Vergil in the original till the dactyls sung in my brain (you will never talk me...more
I liked this very much. The entire work is perfection, with the exception of the evasive ending. The awe I felt while reading was lessened due to this, which makes me very sad as this is a beautiful and heartwrenching book. I really wish it had ended with a stronger conclusion.
This book managed to smack against my ick wall pretty early. Umm, yeah, I am so not qualified to write a review or anything resembling a review about this book.
I found the book accessible yet dist...more
This book managed to smack against my ick wall pretty early. Umm, yeah, I am so not qualified to write a review or anything resembling a review about this book.
I found the book accessible yet dist...more
This is my 3rd book review for the 12 Books, 12 Months Challenge.
I had read Carson’s Eros the Bittersweet in August 2009 and quite enjoyed it. Thus, when I came across this one last November in a bookstore for a reasonable price I grabbed it.
This is a retelling of the story of Geryon based on the existing fragments of Stesichoros‘ Geryoneis. All I will say about the story is that Geryon and Herakles are lovers.
Honestly, I am unsure what I thought of it. It see...more
I had read Carson’s Eros the Bittersweet in August 2009 and quite enjoyed it. Thus, when I came across this one last November in a bookstore for a reasonable price I grabbed it.
This is a retelling of the story of Geryon based on the existing fragments of Stesichoros‘ Geryoneis. All I will say about the story is that Geryon and Herakles are lovers.
Honestly, I am unsure what I thought of it. It see...more
I hardly know what to say about this one; such an unexpected tome, still-being-digested, &co. Ostensibly a re-telling of the tale of Geryon, the red-winged monster killed by Herakles as part of the twelve labors (the tenth being to obtain Geryon's cattle). But don't go into this thinking it's going to be some hippy-dippy revisionary project, because though Herakles and Geryon and Helen make their appearances, this is anything but your conventional mythological reimagining. What it is: a tale...more
Well, I finally finished this. I suppose I find the style intriguing (long lines, short lines)) as well as the concept (red-winged monster-person has his heart broken), but ultimately the book didn't do much for me. I know this book is much loved by many friends of mine, so I do kind of have that "what am I missing?" feeling.
I guess here is why I didn't like it that much--what's the point of all that framing stuff in the introduction? And, more importantly, I found the lov...more
I guess here is why I didn't like it that much--what's the point of all that framing stuff in the introduction? And, more importantly, I found the lov...more
My favorite college professor recommended this book to me because of how much I loved Gertrude Stein. Stein's influence is clear in the book (She is even quoted in the beginning: "I like the feeling of words doing as they want to do and as they have to do."
What I love about Stein and what I loved about this book was that it makes reading like a mental exercise. It forces the reader to really engage and work to understand everything. It makes reading so much more rewarding. ...more
What I love about Stein and what I loved about this book was that it makes reading like a mental exercise. It forces the reader to really engage and work to understand everything. It makes reading so much more rewarding. ...more
This book marks, without an ember of doubt, the first time I've ever felt burned by my lack of education in the classics. I approached this book ready to feel cowed and lost, so I was enthralled when that was not the case.
I understand Geryon intimately, for I, too am a red creature.
From a forgotten notebook of mine:
"On my steady diet of nicotine and coffee, my thoughts grind (like bad teeth) into points. I am a sharp-shaped thing. A needle, an arrow, ...more
I understand Geryon intimately, for I, too am a red creature.
From a forgotten notebook of mine:
"On my steady diet of nicotine and coffee, my thoughts grind (like bad teeth) into points. I am a sharp-shaped thing. A needle, an arrow, ...more
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“Words bounce. Words, if you let them, will do what they want to do and what they have to do.”
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