‘Sometimes she publishes notes she’s scribbled on her hand’: Édouard Louis on 10 reasons to love Anne Carson
The French author discovered Carson on a bus while stranded in a snowstorm and has been enthralled by her fearless imagination ever since
TL;DR
- Édouard Louis was captivated by Anne Carson's writing, discovering her work during a snowstorm.
- Carson's writing is characterized by its fearless imagination, often featuring non-human narrators and blending historical and contemporary references.
- She reinterprets classic texts, such as Sophocles' Antigone, by introducing anachronistic elements like discussions of Hegel.
- Nox, a text about her brother's absence, is presented in an innovative box format with an accordion-foldout.
- Carson also reinvents the book as an object with works like Float and H of H Playbook.
- Her work possesses a strong political dimension, often siding with the victim or the defeated, as seen in Autobiography of Red.
- Carson explores themes of identity, particularly through her identification with Oscar Wilde.
- Women are central to her work, with texts like Norma Jeane Baker of Troy and her translation of Sappho's poems.
- She dislikes the social aspects of literary life and prefers solitary writing.
- Carson finds solace and focus in her work, using it as an escape from the world and herself.