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Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife
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About This Book
From the celebrated author of Square Haunting comes a biography as unconventional and surprising as the life it tells. 'Think of the Bible and Homer, think of Shakespeare and think of me,' wrote Gertrude Stein in 1936. Admirers called her a genius, sceptics a she remains one of the most confounding - and contested - writers of the twentieth century. In this literary detective story, Francesca Wade delves into the creation of the Stein myth. We see her posing for Picasso's portrait; at the centre of Bohemian Parisian life hosting the likes of Matisse and Hemingway; racing through the French countryside with her enigmatic companion Alice B. Toklas; dazzling American crowds on her sell-out tour for her sensational Autobiography - a veritable celebrity. Yet Stein hoped to be remembered not for her personality but for her work. From her deathbed, she charged her partner with securing her place in literary history. How would her legend shift once it was Toklas's turn to tell the stories - especially when uncomfortable aspects of their past emerged from the archive? Using astonishing never-before-seen material, Wade uncovers the origins of Stein's radical writing, and reveals new depths to the storied relationship which made it possible. This is Gertrude Stein as she was when nobody was captivating, complex and human.
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Reviews
"A writer is not merely the sum total of known events that occurred to her between birth and death, she is also the network of readers created by her work during that period and afterward ..."
"Wade approaches such contradictions with openness, and the Stein that emerges for her is eccentric, flawed, vulnerable and funny ..."
"The revelations in Gertrude Stein are exciting, but perhaps even more gripping are the characters the book brings so vividly to life."
"The result is a book that will forever be an essential tool for anyone studying or reading Gertrude Stein."
"The strength of part one lies in Wade's careful scrutiny of Stein's letters and her attention to Stein's investment in her own reputation ..."
"I was thinking, as I read Wade's book, is why biography is usually so frustrating."
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