Autobiography of Red / Anne Carson

Autobiography of Red is a 1998 novel-in-verse by Anne Carson. It is a retelling of the Tenth Labor of Hercules, obtaining the cattle of the red monster Geryon. Carson's novel reinterprets the Geryoneis, a Classic poem by Stesichorus written from Geryon's point of view. As such, the main character of Autobiography of Red is Geryon, not Herakles (the Greek form of the Roman word 'Hercules').

Plot
Autobiography of Red opens with Geryon as a small boy, having to deal with family issues and first days of school. It continues through his first love (a boy named Herakles), and their relationship. Later, once Geryon has grown up a bit, he begins to travel, and he meets Herakles, along with his new lover, Ancash, in Argentina.

The book also contains Carson's "translation" of the extant fragments of the Geryoneis. It's a very loose translation, employing many anachronisms and modern turns of phrase. In addition, there is an "interview" with Stesichorus, as well as a brief expository essay on his importance within Greek literature.

Relevance
Geryon does a lot of growing up through this novel, and much of his growth revolves around his awakening (and wakened) sexuality. He deals briefly with sexual abuse and then much more deeply with unrequited love. But this isn't a book strictly about gay things, and there are many sections in which Geryon's sexuality doesn't play a part: he struggles with homesickness as a child, he muses on philosophy quite a bit during his adult travels, and he searches for some sort of a creative outlet throughout the entire book.