About
Gertrude Stein was a major figure in modernist literature. Born in Pennsylvania, she studied psychology with William James at Radcliffe and then medicine at Johns Hopkins without completing the degree. Settling in Paris in 1903, she hosted an influential salon frequented by Picasso, Matisse, and Hemingway. Her experimental writing, marked by repetition and fragmentation, sought to capture the 'continuous present.' Her best-known work, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933), written from the viewpoint of her companion, was a commercial success. She also helped popularize Cubism and coined the term 'Lost Generation.'
* 1874-02-03 — † 1946-07-27
Major works
- Three Lives (1909)novel
- Tender Buttons (1914)poetry
- The Making of Americans (1925)novel
- The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933)autobiography
- Four Saints in Three Acts (1934)opera
Key milestones
- 1903Moved to Paris and opened her salon at 27 rue de Fleurus.
- 1933Publication of The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, her first commercial success.
- 1934Triumphant lecture tour in the United States.
Themes
ModernismLinguistic experimentationIdentity and genderRepetition and continuous presentArtistic life and expatriation
Sources: britannica.com · poetryfoundation.org