Autobiography of Red
Autobiography of Red by Anne Carsonby Anne Carson
Shares rank 6 of 8 poetry books by recommenders
People recommend it for its fragmentary, mythic language that makes each word feel weighty and for its emotional impact; some say it is best read aloud.
People recommend it for its fragmentary, mythic language that makes each word feel weighty and for its emotional impact; some say it is best read aloud.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fragmentary form gives words weight
“the fragmentary form gives such mythical weight to every word”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in literature 2026” Emotionally powerful, deeply moving read
“Autobiography of Red absolutely gutted me.”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in literature 2026” Best experienced when read aloud
“it should be read out loud, imo”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in literature 2026”
Other poetry books people recommend
The four most recommended other poetry books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Odysseyby Emily Wilson | 21 | 3 | 88% | 3 | — | — |
| Gilgameshby Simon Armitage | 11 | 4 | 73% | 3 | — | — |
| The Iliadby Homer | 9 | 1 | 90% | 7 | — | — |
| The Claudysseyby Claude Fable 5 | 8 | 5 | 62% | 1 | — | — |
| Autobiography of Redby Anne CarsonThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it should be read out loud, imo”
“Autobiography of Red absolutely gutted me.”
“the fragmentary form gives such mythical weight to every word”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.