Summary

“Autobiography of Red: A Romance,” Part 8, pages 105 - 117 - “Kiss”: The single sentence at the beginning of this section suggests that “a healthy volcano is an exercise in the uses of pressure” (105). Narration then describes how Geryon sits in his hotel room contemplating “the cracks and fissures of his inner life” (105) and reading books of philosophy, several of which contain references to the color red. That evening, Geryon goes out and walks through the city, eventually ending up in a bookstore. As he’s looking through a book, he’s distracted by the sight and sound of a man and a bird playing a kissing game outside the shop. He’s further distracted by a collision with a man who smells of leather – Herakles.

“Fast Forward”: The single sentence at the beginning of this section reveals that Geryon and Herakles, at the Café Mitwelt...