Autobiography of Red

This is poetry, in that it is beautiful and uses words ever-so carefully, but this is prose, in that it reads as easily as a novel and tells an engaging story. Geryon is a wonderfully-precise protagonist, going through his adventures with a quiet endurance and an energetic attachment to them. He has something of the quality of a Franz Kafka, a Michael Stipe, or an Angela Chase, but he's not so broodingly self-absorbed; rather, he's observant and thoughtful about the world around him. If the early-90s alternative rock movement had been more attentive and less despairing, it would have sounded something like this book, and would have taken a bigger audience. The framing prose, inventing some poetic fragments of an ancient Greek poet, asks us to look at the story-telling, as a parable of history-making, and makes us sensitive to the way the book uses language. If the book made me think about its construction as a book, though, it didn't keep me from reading it as a great story.

It must be a question of perspective. For me, it's as if I am standing outside a window looking in, and as I read, it is from the perspective of a mother of sons. Certain pieces linger -- Geryon's observation of stones at the beginning of the story- Carson has a unique ability to capture through mere glimpses the honesty and beauty of a child's understanding of his relationship to the world around him, trust in his brother because that's how the world should work in the mind of a 5 year old child; Geryon and his mother enjoying their Tuesday night routine- Geryon's mother's appreciation and validation of his sculpture autobiography; and perhaps what still pulls at my heart is what Carson was able to convey in the baby-sitting chapter- Geryon's retreat when his mother leaves and his springing to life with her return. As I read the novel, I had to force myself not to judge, but to observe; it was easier the second time through. Still, my heart aches for Geryon, and his vulnerability. Carson beautifully captures Geryon's plight "outside and inside." My chest still tightens as I recall Geryon's struggle as he is left to fend for himself, first by his brother's apathy, then by his brother's violence, the cruelty of love lost, and finally the cost of his freedom. "Who can a monster blame for being red?" My heart aches for Geryon as he searches for meaning and an understanding of the distance between himself and the ones he loves, and his place in time and space. Alice Munro captured the sentiment best: "this book is amazing -- I haven't discovered any writing in years so marvelously disturbing."

Strange at first, but if you can make past the first few pages you will find your self in a great story, written in a very peculiar way.

"Autobiography of Red" is the story of Geryon, a young boy with red skin and large wings, who grows into a young man. He is in love with Herakles, a young man who seems to return Geryon's affection, but is actually quite cruel in his fickleness. The two encounter each other on and off over the years, Geryon seeking love, Herakles seeking adventure. Their paths eventually cross in Buenos Aires, of all places, where Herakles is with another young man, Ancash, recording the sounds of various volcanos. The three venture through South America together, the tension between the three of them almost palpable, at least to the more sensitive two of the group, Ancash and Geryon. It is here that the three must decide on the nature of their friendship, and Geryon on the nature of his life. This book is written in poetic free verse, and Ann Carson's style is nothing less than magical. It might seem difficult for readers accustomed to straightforward prose, but if one lets the words wash over them, their meaning will all be clear soon enough, and their beauty alone will convince the reader of their merit. The story is based on Greek myth, but rather than Herakles killing Geryon the monster literally, he "kills" by breaking his heart. Ultimately, the book's message seems to be that Geryon must learn to love himself first. The book is beautifully written, and cannot be recommended highly enough, to any reader who wants to read a delicate story in a challenging format.

Anne Carson is a master of experimental narrative poetry. And “Autobiography of Red” is her masterpiece. I’ve never read another novel in verse that floored me the way this one has. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve read it. Each reading delights my senses more than the first reading. Hard to believe but true! Her simple experimental structure is deceptively complex. Like all masterpieces, this one continues to unravel like the layers of an onion. It’s absolute perfection. That’s really all you can say about it. It. Is. Perfect.

I found this book's poetry ro be more elusive than stimulating to thought through an exquisite use of language. I have no idea of what the super-objective message is here. Very irritating.

This book was so beautiful! The language itself is a miracle and all those pictures and moments and thoughts Carson captures are striking and precise. She takes the reader to a travel through different countries, from North America to Buenos Aires to Lima to Huaraz. We follow red-winged Geryon, who takes photographs and wonders about life and time. The book is sad and chaotic and breaks your heart with beauty and emotion. This isn't an easy one, though: you really need to focus or the poem flows by before you even notice.

I loved this book. There was so much truth in it, and many moments of transcendence. The poetry was excellent, in that the language was more spare and more powerful, and much more effective than prose would have been. The writing was strong enough to stand on its own in many places. Like if you were to open to any page, you would find a phrase or a passage that was moving or inspiring.

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a

El libro es demasiado pretencioso, y aunque se vende como novela en verso y nada que ver. Decepcionante.

Purtroppo non più disponibile nella traduzione italiana, consiglio allora di immergersi nella lingua originale della Carson, nella leggerezza, nelle profondità e nelle esplosioni dei suoi vulcani.

Sabemos del aporte estético y cultural de Anne Carson a la tradición poética de occidente. Con Autobiografía de rojo reinserta no sólo el mito en la sensibilidad de nuestra historia contemporánea, también logra lo que pocos: acudir a un estilo ya consumado en la literatura e reconstruirlo en nuestro discurso actual. En cuestiones del libro como producto: está manchado como de humedad u óxido, y eso parece que es responsabilidad de la librería