Later in life, Geryon turns to photography as a form of essay-ism.

Geryon undergoes severe trauma as a child and begins his autobiography at an early age in the form of sculpture-building.

Such a structure includes seven sections: an essay on Stesichoros, translated fragments of Geryoneis, a palinode (or poem acting as an ode retracting a sentiment from an earlier poem), a mock interview, and two appendices. The coming-of-age novel’s structure is comparable to a Greek nomos, or lyric performance, which Stesichoros was famous for. During this time, he attempts to navigate his feelings for both his friend and himself.Īutobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse is the perfect novel for anyone, whether you are a lover of mythology, literary analysis, LGBTQ+ romance, or self-realization. Geryon undergoes a series of challenges throughout the novel while he constructs his autobiography and explores volcanoes with Herakles. Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse follows Geryon, a red-winged person, from childhood to adulthood, detailing his relationship with others, including Herakles, a friend who becomes a lover, then someone who is longed for. Carson uses Stesichoros as a base for her novel, attempting to fill the gaps of the fragmented Geryoneis. Though Stesichoros, a Greek lyric poet, was the first to tell it from Geryon’s in Geryoneis ( The Geryon Matter). The story is most often told from the perspective of Herakles. The queer, coming-of-age Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse is based on the Greek myth of Herakles who, when completing his tenth labor, killed the three-bodied giant Geryon and stole his cattle. Carson uses language and historical content, amongst many other things, to complete the fragmented myth of Geryon and Herakles in a modern, fantastical setting. However, I soon learned that it is so much more than this. I knew that the novel is a retelling of Greek mythology, and as someone who read every Percy Jackson book and its predecessors, I was immediately hooked. I began reading Anne Carson’s Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse with a limited understanding of its content.

The autobiography of red