Autobiography of Red begins with an essay and appendices in which the author, Anne Carson, provides historical and literary contexts for Stesichoros’s lyric poem Geryoneis. The poem is based on the Greek myth of Geryon, which is the direct inspiration for Autobiography of Red. Carson also introduces Stesichoros’s poetic style, particularly his use of adjectives, and includes her translation of several of the remaining fragments of Geryoneis. These fragments outline the story of Geryon, a red monster who lives with his parents and dog on a red island until Herakles arrives and slays him with an arrow. Following these fragments, Carson addresses the story of Helen blinding Stesichoros in response to a slanderous poem he wrote about her, followed by a section that consists of a list of either/or statements in which she attempts to resolve the issue of Stesichoros’ blindness.
The main story follows Geryon, a young, red-winged monster who grows up among normal humans on an island called “The Red Place.” Geryon is ashamed of his monstrosity and struggles to fit in. Geryon adores Geryon’s mother, but his older brother bullies and later sexually abuses him. This sexual abuse inspires Geryon to begin work on his autobiography to “set down all the inside things” in an act of self-preservation. The autobiography initially consists of visual art forms, such as sculpture. Even after Geryon learns to write, he chiefly turns to visual modes of expression, such as photography, to construct his autobiography.
When Geryon is 14, he meets a carefree and confident 16-year-old named Herakles. The boys quickly become inseparable, spending all their time painting graffiti onto the walls of buildings around town and discussing art. They eventually begin a sexual relationship. Geryon is smitten with Herakles but has doubts about the relationship, since Herakles has a more casual attitude toward sex and refuses to open up to Geryon. As Geryon spends more time with Herakles, he becomes more rebellious and starts to drift apart from his mother, who, in turn, worries about Geryon spending all his time with this mysterious boy whom she’s never met. Geryon eventually accompanies Herakles to Hades, Herakles’s hometown on the other side of the island, without telling his mother. In Hades, Herakles’s grandmother shows Geryon a 15-minute exposure photograph she took of a volcanic eruption that took place on the island in 1923, and Geryon, Herakles, and Herakles’s grandmother later visit the volcano featured in her photograph.
Late in Geryon’s stay in Hades, Herakles devastates Geryon by ending their romantic relationship. Geryon returns home following the breakup and reconciles with his mother, from whom he had grown apart during his rebellious, lovesick adolescence. Unable to move on from Herakles, Geryon’s life enters a blue period. He takes a 15-minute exposure photograph of a fly drowning in a pail of water during a storm and works a mundane job at a library. One day, Herakles calls Geryon to say he’s been painting his grandmother’s house with a boxer named Hart. He also tells Geryon about a “freedom dream” he had about Geryon, in which Geryon resurrected a drowned, yellow bird. Geryon wants to tell Herakles he would rather be with him than be free, but he keeps his thoughts to himself.
The narrative skips ahead in time. Geryon is now 22, living away from home, and packing for a trip to Buenos Aires. On the plane, he anguishes about time, a subject that perpetually terrifies him. In Buenos Aires, Geryon spends most of his time in Café Mitwelt, writing postcards home to his mother and brother. He meets a philosopher, “yellowbeard,” who invites Geryon to attend his lecture on “emotionlessness” at the University of Buenos Aires. Although Geryon studied philosophy in college, the talk bores him. Geryon continues to ruminate on his favorite question, “What is time made of?” which he asks most people he meets. Later, Geryon meets another philosopher, Lazer, with whom he has a meaningful conversation about time, mortality, and “distances.” Later that night, unable to sleep, Geryon wanders the streets of Buenos Aires and ends up at a tango club. Geryon dislikes tango music and dozes off several times. He fully wakes up after the club has emptied for the night and has a conversation with the tango singer about time, captivity, and guilt.
While browsing in a bookstore one Saturday night, Geryon runs into Herakles, who is in town with his new lover, Ancash. Geryon has lunch with Herakles and Ancash, a Peruvian man who is “as beautiful as a feather,” and learns that they are traveling the world to record volcanoes for a documentary they are making about Emily Dickinson. Geryon anguishes over the fact that he’s still attracted to Herakles. After lunch, they stop by a Harrods department store on their way to the post office. Herakles brazenly steals a wooden Tiger from the store as a birthday gift for Ancash’s mother, whom he and Ancash are visiting in Lima. Geryon initially feels upset about being left out of their plans, but Herakles invites Geryon to tag along. Geryon accepts the offer and follows Herakles and Ancash to Lima. Herakles touches Geryon sexually on the plane ride while Ancash is asleep.
The men stay with Ancash’s mother, sleeping on the roof of her wealthy employers’ house. Geryon feels lonely and out of place in Lima and can’t figure out how to photograph the city. It’s winter in Peru, and the roof gets chilly at night. Ancash notices that Geryon is cold and tries to teach him to stay warm at night by wrapping his bare body in a wool blanket. Ancash removes Geryon’s overcoat despite Geryon’s protests, thus revealing the wings Geryon has tried desperately to hide. However, Ancash finds Geryon’s wings beautiful rather than monstrous, and strokes them tenderly. Ancash tells Geryon about the “Yazcol Yazcamac, or “the Ones Who Went and Saw and Came Back,” mythic beings from the folklore of Jucu, a small village in a volcanic region near Ancash’s mother’s hometown of Huaraz. According to legend, Yazcol Yazcamac are beings who, after being thrown into the volcano as a sacrifice to the gods, emerge strong, winged, and immortal. Anthropologists call these beings “eyewitnesses.” Herakles interrupts Ancash and Geryon’s emotional exchange to announce that they will travel to Huaraz tomorrow.
Geryon, Herakles, Ancash, and Ancash’s mother depart for Huaraz the next day. Geryon takes many photographs. In their hotel in Huaraz, Geryon and Herakles have sex. Geryon cries afterward, causing Herakles to leave the room in irritation. He later returns in a better mood, observing that “[Herakles] laughing and [Geryon] crying” is “just like the old days.” Ancash finds out about the sexual encounter and hits Geryon in the garden outside their hotel, though he immediately sits down next to Geryon and tends to his wounds. Ancash asks Geryon if he loves Herakles. Geryon says that while he used to love Herakles, he doesn’t any longer. He also admits that sex with Herakles feels “degrading.” Before Ancash leaves, he tells Geryon he wants “to see [Geryon] use those wings.” Herakles interrupts their conversation to tell them it’s time to see the volcano.
Geryon, Herakles, and Ancash travel to see Icchantikas, the volcano in Jucu. Early the next morning, Geryon takes Ancash’s tape recorder and records himself flying over the volcano, proclaiming, “This is for Ancash.” Although Geryon doesn’t have his camera with him, he decides he would have titled a photograph depicting this moment, “The Only Secret People Keep.” Afterward, Herakles, Geryon, and Ancash roam the streets of Jucu and visit the “volcano in the wall,” where men bake bread in holes in the slope of Icchantikas (flames from the active volcano heat the bread). Geryon’s final photograph captures this scene. He watches the flames reflect across his, Herakles, and Ancash’s faces and decides that they are “neighbors of fire,” with “immortality on their faces, night on their back.”
The novel ends with a hypothetical, absurd interview in which an interviewer questions Stesichoros about his poetic techniques. Stesichoros provides nonsensical, vague responses to the interviewer’s questions.
