In particular, Zum verlorenen Hören ('For lost hearing') seems a peculiarly poignant thing to write to one's former professor. The snippets of Gratuitous German on Geryon's postcards seem to be tailored to the recipients.Big Brother Bully: Geryon has an older brother who, when they are children, insults, undermines, and sexually abuses him.Bad Boy: Herakles is a sub- delinquent type, with a fondness for graffiti, shoplifting, and leather.The narrative never mentions it again, and the overall tone of the book is gentler than one might expect after a revelation like that. Backstory Horror: Early in the book, we hear about Geryon being sexually abused as a young child.There are many Germans in Buenos Aires - but they are all soccer players (or psychoanalysts, or cigarette girls). Arc Words: During the Argentinian interlude, Geryon repeatedly asks: 'What is time made of?'.According to Ancash, the villagers of Jucu used to throw people into the nearby volcano - not as sacrifices, but because occasionally someone would return from the experience with ' all their weaknesses burned away.' Amazing Technicolor Population: Geryon is red.Alternate Continuity: The book contains two mutually-exclusive stories about Geryon and Herakles, one in the front matter and one in the main body.Aerith and Bob: Geryon, Herakles, Ancash, Lazer.This section of the book also discusses a separate story about Stesichoros: he is supposed to have been struck blind by Helen for insulting her in a poem, then had his sight restored after writing a palinode.Īutobiography of Red was followed in 2013 by a Denser and Wackier (but also somewhat darker) sequel, Red Doc>.Īutobiography of Red provides examples of: Carson brings up that version of the story in some prefatory matter concerning the poet Stesichoros, who wrote the first sympathetic portrayal of Geryon in the sixth century BCE. Herakles steals the cattle - killing Geryon in the process - as one of his labors. Geryon and Herakles are, of course, originally from Classical Mythology, where Geryon is the giant, monstrous keeper of a herd of red cattle. From Ancash, Geryon learns why he is red and has wings. It tells the story of Geryon, a boy who is red, has wings, has a whirlwind teenage romance (and miserable breakup) with a guy named Herakles, becomes a photographer, and travels to South America where he runs into Herakles and Herakles' new lover, Ancash.

Carson autobiography of red