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Portrait of an Artist Being Red

© Diana Adams

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RED- by Anne Carson

"Great wit is rare in modern poetry;there is so much of it in Anne Carson's poetry that one wishes she would give transfusions to other poets." -- Harold Bloom

There is an essential tool necessary to the understanding of Anne Carson's poetry: the classics, the land of greek and roman myth. Luckily for us, in her bravely negotiated novel in verse Autobiography of Red, Carson supplies some of the classical background necessary in the introduction. It aids the understanding of what could prove a very difficult text. But we expect poetry, or good poetry, to be somewhat difficult. That is its challenge, and the rewards are immeasurable. Anne Carson's poetry however is both difficult, and highly readable. It is also marvelously and wildy innovative in its attempt to render emotional truth.

Anne Carson has won numerous awards for her poetry , and is recognized as one of the most innovative and exciting poets writing in English today. By day she is director of Graduate Studies, Classics at McGill University. The truth is Carson writes like no one else writes today, she has the skill of metamorphasis with the classics. Invigorating the old stories with new relevant and more current sensualities. The language of her poetry is both unusual and beautiful, as in this passage:

'Don't pick at that Geryon you'll get infected.
Just leave it alone and let it heal,
said his mother
rhinestoning past on her way to the door.
She had all her breasts on this evening.'

To prove the point about marvelous innovation , let's look at a quick synopsis of Autobiography of Red, which won the 1998 Qspell A.M. Klein poetry prize, is recognized as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and appeared as a finalist for the National Book Critics Award. Red deals with a an autobiography constructed by a young boy , Geryon, which he begins at age five. This in itself isn't all that interesting, but Geryon happens to be a red winged monster living on volcanic terrain who is coming to terms with 'the fantastic accident of who he is', in other words, Geryon is an artist. The other challenge Geryon faces as he goes to school, takes photographs and deals with abuse from an older brother- is that Geryon falls in love.

Part romantic fable, and part a study of an ancient poet, The Autobiography of Red is an Epic in 47 parts in the tradition of Homer. Based on the works of poet Stesichoros born about 650 B.C. 'He came after Homer and Gertrude Stein.' We can thank Anne Carson for having the classical intelligence necessary to wade through the ancient fragments of poetry, bring it to modern life, and make it sensuous and funny at the same time.

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