Autobiograhy of Red: A Verse Novel
Today, we have only fragments of Stesichorus’ original masterpiece, Song of Geryon, which tells the story of Herakles’ Tenth Labor and the death of the red-winged monster, Geryon. In Autobiography of Red, Anne Carson retells the myth with a modern twist, by combining prose and poetry into one beautifully rendered verse novel. Her writing is full of wit, humor, and sadness, as she strives to reinterpret the character of Geryon through the pieces left behind by the Sicilian Greek poet Stesichorus. Stesichorus’ poem dealt with Geryon’s life before his first encounter with Herakles. It is clear, even in the few translations we possess, that Geryon maintained a close relationship with his mother. In Anne Carson’s poem, Geryon’s mother is a chain-smoker who tries her best to soothe and protect her rebellious and self-conscious son. Geryon’s childhood is filled with destruction and chaos. He is sexually abused by his older brother, dependent on his ineffectual mother, and harassed by the children at school. Despite all this, Geryon finds solace behind the camera lens and pursues his passion for photography by later traveling to South America on his own. As he wanders aimlessly through his teenage years, Geryon bumps into Herakles, and the two fall instantly in love. The scene is both timeless and laughable, certainly a strange and unexpected rendition of Stesichorus’ original myth. Anne Carson’s book is essentially a coming-of-age story that recounts the journey of a boy who discovers love and even, at the end of the work, builds up enough self-esteem to shed his overcoat and show off his wings. Carson’s lines run seamlessly in and out of prose and poetry, with sentences that cascade into verse just as the descriptions border on the concrete. Her characterization of Geryon is one that is both moving and pathetic. The reader cannot help but feel sorry for this magnificent beast, so out of place in today’s world and so hopelessly vulnerable to the humans he interacts with. The following is the fifth chapter of Autobiography of Red, in which a young Geryon dreads going to school on his own: His mother stood at the ironing board lighting a cigarette and regarding Geryon. Outside the dark pink air was already hot and alive with cries. Time to go to school, she said for the third time. Her cool voice floated over a pile of fresh tea towels and across the shadowy kitchen to where Geryon stood at the screen door. He would remember when he was past forty the dusty almost medieval smell of the screen itself as it pressed its grid onto his face. She was behind him now. This would be hard for you if you were weak but you’re not weak, she said and neatened his little red wings and pushed him out the door. As if the book were a fantastic compilation of ancient and contemporary literature, Carson also weaves into her work allusions to Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, and Martin Heidegger. The novel is certainly complex but accessible to readers of any level, even those who have a disregard for the abstract obscurities that clutter modern poems today. Katherine J. Chen is a sophomore at Princeton University who is majoring in English with a certificate in Creative Writing.
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