--- product_id: 1694858 title: "Autobiography of Red" price: "€ 27.03" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1694858-autobiography-of-red store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Autobiography of Red **Price:** € 27.03 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Autobiography of Red - **How much does it cost?** € 27.03 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1694858-autobiography-of-red) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Autobiography of Red [Carson, Anne] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Autobiography of Red Review: Both Poetry and Prose - This is poetry, in that it is beautiful and uses words ever-so carefully, but this is prose, in that it reads as easily as a novel and tells an engaging story. Geryon is a wonderfully-precise protagonist, going through his adventures with a quiet endurance and an energetic attachment to them. He has something of the quality of a Franz Kafka, a Michael Stipe, or an Angela Chase, but he's not so broodingly self-absorbed; rather, he's observant and thoughtful about the world around him. If the early-90s alternative rock movement had been more attentive and less despairing, it would have sounded something like this book, and would have taken a bigger audience. The framing prose, inventing some poetic fragments of an ancient Greek poet, asks us to look at the story-telling, as a parable of history-making, and makes us sensitive to the way the book uses language. If the book made me think about its construction as a book, though, it didn't keep me from reading it as a great story. Review: What will you see when you allow yourself to disappear into the folds of the Autobiography of Red? What will you remember? - It must be a question of perspective. For me, it's as if I am standing outside a window looking in, and as I read, it is from the perspective of a mother of sons. Certain pieces linger -- Geryon's observation of stones at the beginning of the story- Carson has a unique ability to capture through mere glimpses the honesty and beauty of a child's understanding of his relationship to the world around him, trust in his brother because that's how the world should work in the mind of a 5 year old child; Geryon and his mother enjoying their Tuesday night routine- Geryon's mother's appreciation and validation of his sculpture autobiography; and perhaps what still pulls at my heart is what Carson was able to convey in the baby-sitting chapter- Geryon's retreat when his mother leaves and his springing to life with her return. As I read the novel, I had to force myself not to judge, but to observe; it was easier the second time through. Still, my heart aches for Geryon, and his vulnerability. Carson beautifully captures Geryon's plight "outside and inside." My chest still tightens as I recall Geryon's struggle as he is left to fend for himself, first by his brother's apathy, then by his brother's violence, the cruelty of love lost, and finally the cost of his freedom. "Who can a monster blame for being red?" My heart aches for Geryon as he searches for meaning and an understanding of the distance between himself and the ones he loves, and his place in time and space. Alice Munro captured the sentiment best: "this book is amazing -- I haven't discovered any writing in years so marvelously disturbing." ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #25,492 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #6 in Canadian Poetry #1,893 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (857) | | Dimensions | 5.15 x 0.44 x 8 inches | | Edition | First Edition | | ISBN-10 | 037570129X | | ISBN-13 | 978-0375701290 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 160 pages | | Publication date | August 1, 1998 | | Publisher | Vintage | ## Images ![Autobiography of Red - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Ik0yT7jqL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Both Poetry and Prose *by E***R on June 21, 2000* This is poetry, in that it is beautiful and uses words ever-so carefully, but this is prose, in that it reads as easily as a novel and tells an engaging story. Geryon is a wonderfully-precise protagonist, going through his adventures with a quiet endurance and an energetic attachment to them. He has something of the quality of a Franz Kafka, a Michael Stipe, or an Angela Chase, but he's not so broodingly self-absorbed; rather, he's observant and thoughtful about the world around him. If the early-90s alternative rock movement had been more attentive and less despairing, it would have sounded something like this book, and would have taken a bigger audience. The framing prose, inventing some poetic fragments of an ancient Greek poet, asks us to look at the story-telling, as a parable of history-making, and makes us sensitive to the way the book uses language. If the book made me think about its construction as a book, though, it didn't keep me from reading it as a great story. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What will you see when you allow yourself to disappear into the folds of the Autobiography of Red? What will you remember? *by E***K on March 21, 2014* It must be a question of perspective. For me, it's as if I am standing outside a window looking in, and as I read, it is from the perspective of a mother of sons. Certain pieces linger -- Geryon's observation of stones at the beginning of the story- Carson has a unique ability to capture through mere glimpses the honesty and beauty of a child's understanding of his relationship to the world around him, trust in his brother because that's how the world should work in the mind of a 5 year old child; Geryon and his mother enjoying their Tuesday night routine- Geryon's mother's appreciation and validation of his sculpture autobiography; and perhaps what still pulls at my heart is what Carson was able to convey in the baby-sitting chapter- Geryon's retreat when his mother leaves and his springing to life with her return. As I read the novel, I had to force myself not to judge, but to observe; it was easier the second time through. Still, my heart aches for Geryon, and his vulnerability. Carson beautifully captures Geryon's plight "outside and inside." My chest still tightens as I recall Geryon's struggle as he is left to fend for himself, first by his brother's apathy, then by his brother's violence, the cruelty of love lost, and finally the cost of his freedom. "Who can a monster blame for being red?" My heart aches for Geryon as he searches for meaning and an understanding of the distance between himself and the ones he loves, and his place in time and space. Alice Munro captured the sentiment best: "this book is amazing -- I haven't discovered any writing in years so marvelously disturbing." ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intriguing *by F***O on March 28, 2016* Strange at first, but if you can make past the first few pages you will find your self in a great story, written in a very peculiar way. ## Frequently Bought Together - Autobiography of Red - Plainwater: Essays and Poetry - Eros the Bittersweet: An Essay (Princeton Classics) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1694858-autobiography-of-red](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/1694858-autobiography-of-red) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-04-25*