Home › Books › Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife
Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife
by
78/99
Critics' Rating Index
48/99
Readers' Rating Index
n/a
Scholars' Citation Index
99/99
Volume of Reviews
54/99
Volume of Reader Ratings
Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.
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.
Reviews
"Highly recommended to researchers, but Wade provides a wealth of material for general readers too."
"Anyone intrigued by the legend of Stein and Toklas will find this a windfall."
"Wade takes Stein seriously at all times, and this is silly."
"An openness to such clashes is foundational to her project ..."
"Wade's measured sympathy for Toklas redeems her from pathos by treating her not as a casualty but as a stoic."
"The full story of their love affair can only now be told, uncensored, in an afterlife that Wade captures so vividly here."
"Wade's book is somewhere between public-facing and academic, seeking to bolster an authoritative account of a life with deeper questions of process."
"There is too much uncertainty, not only about facts but about the meaning of those facts."
"Wade draws on extensive interviews."
"Wade introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters ..."
Preview
Reader Reviews
0 reviewsSign in to write a review.
No reader reviews yet. Be the first!