Lucy Daniel

Gertrude Stein wouldn’t be unfamilliar to anyone who has some liking to literature generally. She was a cult figure in the literary modernism in the early 20th century, no doubt. What makes her so prominent, so eccentric, and so charming concomitantly is her seemingly paradoxical attributes within her expressed in her character and her writing style. All of that is portrayed vividly in this short biography which leads us chronologically into Gertrude Stein’s life, not in detailed, but concisely. Miss Stein’s character is quite appealing, even though it is told summarily through a book, via some anecdotes of hers, and her writing style is somewhat mind-blowing even thought it’s mentioned just in its rough surface.

Right in her early years of life, her self-boasted personality which would be her currency later in literary circles already came to the fore, claiming, in her early teens, that she was afraid of having no decent books to read as she would reached 15. Yet, in spite of always making herself outstanding among people, especially among male figures in order to dominate or overwhelm them by her witty remarks, paradoxically enough, Miss Stein almost inclined to elude the use of her own voice in works, masquerading as someone else to convey her ideas, her thoughts.

In addition to her title of self-proclaimed genius which seems to be presumptuous, the talent of rthetoric expressed in her playful retorts and her charming communication is another eminent aspect of her personality. One of the most well-known anecdotes about her, which strikes me fancy the most, is when she and her girlfriend came back to New York in 1934, and faced a slew of questions by journalists, Miss Stein had a sharp-witted reply to a seemingly-wanting-to-tease-her question:

“Why don’t you write the way you talk?”, asked the journalist.
“Why don’t you read the way I write?”, replied Miss Stein.

It’s classic! Typical of Stein’s manner of doing things. And I also read another saying of hers in another book that 12 years later, in 1946, she borrowed Picasso’s voice to speak out her ways of creation: “Picasso said that no one is capable of understanding you who is not capable of doing the same work himself”. On the surface, these two speakings-in-riddle seem to elevate herself above the rank of popular understanding. Yet, if we know of her tendency toward social life, we will be certain that this interpretation is apparently misleading. She always admitted that the intellectual and highbrows didn’t take her fancy, and she chose to “align herself with the middle class”. Perhaps all Miss Stein wanted to express is that readers themselves had to strive to take part in literary works, not only always expected to be offered meanings by authors. In her whole life, Miss Stein resisted against the authoritarian status of her male counterparts at any cost, even by insulting and degrading some colossal figures, such as Ezra Pound or James Joyce.

This thin book is informative enough for an overall picture of Gertrude Stein, perhaps one of the most eccentric literary figures, in seemingly the most tumultuous period of the literary world in the 20th century. Enough to see her “as part of a lineage of women writers providing an alternative to the masculine literary culture in which she worked”.
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Imagine a wonderful coffee shop,with wall to wall display cabinets filled with every delicious cake and pastry you have ever wanted to try, and more. You can't possibly sample everything in one visit, so you are drawn back, time and time again. Books is the literary version of that experience. It's nearly 800 pages of delicious temptation, tiny tastes of the best 1000 literary moments of the past 100 years. It is an eclectic selection, chosen by a wide range of suitably credentialled contributors. It looks at key books, key authors, key events, key characters, and key passages for each decade. Interestingly, it isn't the "same old same old" books that are often chronicled in "best of" projects. Books originally written in the English language predominate, but literature from non English language authors is certainly represented. As an Aussie,I am a little disappointed that so far, I have not found any Australian works - but I have a way to go before page 789. In each decade I have found at least one author with whom I am not familiar, and I am picking up lots of interesting literary things I didn't previously know. A bonus is the fabulous photographs that complement the text. Yes,I'm loving my journey through Books! Be prepared that each entry really is a tit-bit and there is some frustration in that. But the flip side is that if you are like me, your Books to Read list will expand considerably. Also understand before you start the journey, that this definitely isn't a book to be devoured over a week or two - like the coffee shop, it's more enjoyable to drop in every now and then, than to visit every day. Enjoy!… (plus d'informations)