Has anyone here read Autobiography of Red?

[Julian]

It's based on Stesichorus' poem Greyoneis in which Heracles (or Herakles/Alcides) fights Geryon (grandson of Medusa) to the death. Except in this book, --keep in mind, I haven't read it myself yet-- Geryon takes over a more human portrayal, and he falls in love with Herakles.

So I'm wondering if anyone here has heard of it because it does have a lot of reads on here, but I don't usually see queer verse novels or prose poetry discussed a lot on here such as this one. I assume that because of the essence of a lot of Greek mythology being queer in few aspects (as that definitely wasn't unheard of during the ancient period of Greece, although it was a lot different compared to what we consider queer today), it isn't considered by most people I know that have already read it as inherently queer. Or at least it's queer characteristics just aren't pronounced that much differently from the book's other storytelling aspects, and it just happens to have a queer character? So does having a queer character providing as the central viewpoint of a story not always mean the story is set in a queer narrative?
I've read about it as much as possible without spoiling it for myself but I haven't picked up that much about it honestly. Definitely on my reading list this year right after I go over Geryoneis again.

Just wondering what everyone here that has read it thinks about it in regard to it having a queer narrative or not. And if so, has it been one of the better queer mythological retellings/adaptations you've read especially for Greek mythology?

[Carl]

Hello Julian, I haven't heard of Greyoneis. I wasn't even aware Medusa had children. Will look that up. There are some Greek queer retellings (tbf most of the ancient world is queer. idk when things shifted...).

Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller is the golden standard - I would say. I just read Queens of Themiscyra by Hannah Lynn (sapphic approach). You can find queer elements in The Shadow King by Simon Sidebottom (it's the life of Alexander of Macedon through Alexander of Lyncestes's perspective). That's all I remember from the top of my head, but I'll let you know if any other comes to mind. Cheers!

[Julian]

Carl wrote: "Hello Julian, I haven't heard of Greyoneis. I wasn't even aware Medusa had children. Will look that up. There are some Greek queer retellings (tbf most of the ancient world is queer. idk when thing..."

Hi Carl! That would make sense that you haven't heard of it, I did some digging and apparently the text survives in physical form in only a few damaged fragments. In fact, I can't find a single fully translated text reading lines back to back. Anne Carson has taught a lot of classics and has a lot of experience as an essayist. I had thought that given the large recognition this work of hers has received, that would mean the story it's based on is quite popular in the western mythological scheme? But given her profession and obvious passion for the topic, it's not surprising the story isn't a more widely recognized piece. I always wonder how writers come across pieces like that.

Thank you for the great list of other texts! I'll have to check them out.

[Luke]

I read the work more for it being included in 500 Great Books by Women and the fact that I liked Carson's The Beauty of the Husband: A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos. Reading over my review, I certainly approached it from a more original source material route than a queer one, but in 2015, I was less in tune with myself and more with getting a degree, so take that as you will. As it stands, I'd say the queer in Carson's hands is part of the motifs that, over the millennia, have taken on the identifier of 'queer', but aren't inherently so based on the source material. In other words, if you have no affinity or no incentive to build an affinity with the source material, good luck. All in all, you may have better luck approaching this as some good poetry whose references you really have to work for as crafted by someone with a profound relationship with her field. I'm just grateful someone like Carson grants us a queer rendering from a place of academic authority and superb poeticism.

[Carl]

well, I deeply appreciate your post as I haven't heard of this before. I did some digging and Anne Carson seems brilliant. The Song of Achilles is a great book to start. Her prose is spot on.