10/08/2026
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‘Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse’ (1998) is often heralded as newly awarded laureate Anne Carson’s greatest work. It demonstrates her eminent ability to actualise the classical literary tradition.
With a precise feel for contemporary idioms and experiences, she takes as her starting point poem fragments by the sixth century BC Greek poet Stesichoros concerning the winged red monster Geryon. While the myth describes how Heracles, in fulfilling one of his labours, kills Geryon and steals his cattle, Carson recasts the terrifying giant as a tender ‘hero’ devoted to his mother, in what becomes a modern Bildungsroman. The young Geryon, having earlier been subjected to sexual assaults at the hands of his brother, falls in love with the smug and boorish Heracles. What happens when you love someone who will ultimately destroy you? It is an age-old question in this spectacular form of epic poetry with its great lyrical qualities.
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to the Canadian author Anne Carson, “for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.”
Discover more about the literary world of this year’s laureate: https://bit.ly/4hnkhNO
