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A review by realalexmartin
H of H Playbook by Anne Carson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
4.75
This is a masterful adaptation. By converging time so Ancient Greece and 21st Century North America intersect, Carson creates a world that is both unearthly and familiar at the same time. As a book itself, it is closer to art than just a novel, allowing for colour and shape to influence the impact of their accompanying words. Carson knows this story inside and out - reading this book is like watching Michelangelo work with marble.
I’ve seen a few other reviews mention Autobiography of Red and Red Doc>, and while, yes, you can see this as a spiritual third book in that series, it’s important to note that Autobiography and Red are adapted from a different source than H of H. For a true companion, I’d recommend reading Anne Carson’s Grief Lessons, particularly the introductory essay to the book, the introductory essay to her translation of Euripides’ Herakles, and of course her translation of Herakles itself.
On that note, I would not start here if you are new to Anne Carson’s work, it’s just a bit too avant-garde to be totally accessible. If you aren’t new to Anne Carson, this is required reading.
I’ve seen a few other reviews mention Autobiography of Red and Red Doc>, and while, yes, you can see this as a spiritual third book in that series, it’s important to note that Autobiography and Red are adapted from a different source than H of H. For a true companion, I’d recommend reading Anne Carson’s Grief Lessons, particularly the introductory essay to the book, the introductory essay to her translation of Euripides’ Herakles, and of course her translation of Herakles itself.
On that note, I would not start here if you are new to Anne Carson’s work, it’s just a bit too avant-garde to be totally accessible. If you aren’t new to Anne Carson, this is required reading.