A Review of Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson- metafictional magic realism poetry novel

Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson is a novel loosely based on Geryon, a character from Greek Mythology who only ever really exists as a footnote, someone for Hercules to slay in the course of his Ten Labours. In this novel, Geryon, a winged, red monster, is also a young man who begins an autobiography at age 5, as a way to understand the world around him, and chronicles his childhood and encounters with Herakles (Hercules). It's primarily an exploration of love (particularly unrequited), queerness, and loneliness. The book is often called a romance (Wikipedia classifies it so), but it's only so in such a way as Romero and Juliet or the myth of Achilles and Patroclus is- it's equally tragic. Carson's Geryon is in the tradition of Stesichorus and Dante- there appear to be many conflicting accounts of Geryon's appearance.

I feel like discussion online, or at least what I'd seen, is a little misleading as to what the book is. Although the book is called an Autobiography, it isn't entirely- and although the Autobiography, which does make up most of the page count, is told in blank verse, the book is not entirely in verse either. The book also contains a study of Stesichorus' verse fragments of the myth of Geryon, and the fragments themselves; a Socratic discussion of Stesichorus' blindness; and a purported interview with Stesichorus. This is why I say "metafiction" in the title, and these are equally enjoyable and important parts of the novel for me. The term "autobiography" equally seems a misnomers because not only is it told in third person, but for parts we follow him he is unable to write and his autobiography is through sculptures and photographs- it's not clear if he then later translates these into what we read in third person, or this is simply someone else's translation of a visual autobiography to text.

The main story of Geryon's life begins with him as a young child. He's unable to communicate well, and seemingly fully understand events (his brother uses this to use and abuse him), and his mother, while affectionate, is ineffectual and unaware. This changes when he counters Herakles. Herakles becomes his first friend, and later lover. Geryon falls deeply in love with Herakles, although Herakles either doesn't realize or doesn't care, but never articulates this. Although Geryon is queer, it's not explicitly clear what type- to me, he doesn't come across as gay, but demi. He never shows romantic attraction to anyone but Herakles, and engages in sex because he thinks Herakles wants to. When Herakles leaves, he falls into a deep depression, and only interacts with the world through photography. Later in life, Geryon reencounters Herakles, and although it seems like he is aware that this will hurt him, he's still unable to resist him or say "no."

Along with being unable to communicate well, Geryon understands the world differently than the "normal" people around him. He considers a lot of philosophical topics, such as time, Skepticism, and of course love, which Carson explores beautifully through her poetry. Time in particular is a favourite topic of his, and he and Carson relate it beautifully to photography. A photograph is a snapshot of a moment in time, and yet not aloof from it- it is made using time, in things like exposure and developement, and the physical photograph itself is still subject to it.

This novel is speculative fiction in the sense that Geryon is a literal monster, red and winged, but I call it magical realism but, in what appears to otherwise be a normal mid-1900s world, this is rarely important or commented upon. However, I feel like Geryon being a monster is important for two reasons. Most immediately, it serves as something which separates him from everyone else, and may be part of why he never forges any connections bar with Herakles. Secondly, and most thematically deep to me, is in relation to the myth. As we know Geryon today, he's never mentioned outside of the context of the Ten Labours, and only defined in relation to Hercules. This ties in neatly to the exploration of Geryon's loneliness, and his abject love for Herakles. It tickles my sympathy in the same which in which John Gardner's Grendel does.

Autobiography of Red does require a little bit of effort, or willingness to engage on the part of the reader. One has to be willing to meet it partway. I'm not particularly well read when it comes to poetry, but I understand blank verse is somewhat contentious. I saw some negative reviews saying things along the line of "Apparently poetry is just the insertion of random line breaks," and while I think the placement was deliberate/the sentences were structured with this in mind, if you're inclined to think something like that, I think nothing either a review says or the book does will sway you.

This is perhaps my favourite thing I've read this year, and a delightful and thoughtful, if melancholy, exploration of love, loneliness, and loss/longing. I didn't make any particular effort to do so this time, preferring to stay in the "flow", but this is also an eminently quotable novel. Lots of beautiful turns of phrase. I highly recommend this to those want a rewarding, deep, philosophical read.