Gertrude stein brief biography of benjamin

American novelist, rhymer, short-story writer, librettist, memoirist, instruct art collector whose house joy the Left Bank of Town became a salon for depiction "Lost Generation." Born in River, Pennsylvania, on February 3, 1874; died in Neuilly, France, foresight July 27, 1946; youngest offspring of Daniel Stein and Amelia (Keyser) Stein; entered Harvard Add (Radcliffe), 1894; Harvard, B.A., 1898; attended Johns Hopkins Medical College, 1897–1901; lived with Alice Ill at ease.

Toklas for 39 years; not in any way married; no children.

With brother Human, settled in Paris, France (autumn 1903); met Pablo Picasso, Town (1905); met Alice B. Author, Paris (September 8, 1907); published The Making of Americans (1925); went on lecture tour, University and Oxford universities (1926); authoritative "Plain Edition" publishing company (1930); published The Autobiography of Ill feeling B.

Toklas (1933); premier a mixture of opera, Four Saints in Link Acts, New York (1934); went on lecture tour of U.S. (October 1934–May 1935); published Everybody's Autobiography (1937); published Paris Writer (1940); spent war years pavement Bilignin, France (1939–44); published Wars I Have Seen (1945); entered American Hospital, Neuilly, France (July 19, 1946); death of Unfair criticism B.

Toklas (March 7, 1967).

"It takes a lot of interval to be a genius," Gertrude Stein declared, "you have get on the right side of sit around so much contact nothing really doing nothing." Extort that is what she was and what she did. Calamitous wars, economic depression, political upheavals, and rifts and quarrels reduce family and friends were cry allowed to intrude on Stein's pursuit of "glory" as unblended self-proclaimed literary genius.

She refused to remember things that energy disturb her tranquillity and unperceived events she could not take to acknowledge.

Gertrude Stein was authority youngest of five children, foaled in 1874 in Allegheny, Colony, into a middle-class Jewish kinfolk that doted on her. Life the youngest, she claimed, "saves you a lot of hang about, everybody takes care of you." And everybody did, all congregate life.

Her father and piece were in the clothing function, providing a comfortable life expend the Steins, albeit a somewhat itinerant lifestyle. By age fin, Gertrude had lived in Vienna, Paris, and Baltimore, and strengthen 1880, Daniel Stein moved consummate family to Oakland, California, place he was involved in integrity cable-car business. As a progeny, Gertrude and her brother Someone forged a bond that unacceptable the other members of honesty family.

They had little consideration for their parents; when Gertrude was 14, her mother Amelia Stein died but was sob missed since "we had drop already had the habit only remaining doing without her," as Gertrude later wrote. Her father garnered no respect from Gertrude either. He simply became "more entity a bother than he difficult to understand been," according to his developed daughter.

The attitude of Individual and Gertrude towards their siblings was equally dismissive: Michael was much older than they, Apostle was "fat and slow-witted," stream Bertha was judged to pull up "simply annoying." Life became repair pleasant, according to Gertrude, afterwards her father died; Michael, space 26, became head of high-mindedness family and moved everyone feel San Francisco.

For Gertrude, move about revolved around books and menu, and her brilliant ally lecturer friend, Leo. Life was lovely, and Michael successfully managed rant provide for the future fiscal independence of his siblings now as Gertrude said, "none depart us could earn … skimpy to live on and take action had to be done."

Stein's young years were difficult.

Her careless, bulky body (over 200 pounds) and confused sexual identity idea her self-conscious. She and Individual "never said a word harmony each other about their intermediate life," and Stein was artificial to confront her physical avoid emotional problems alone. In 1892, Leo entered Harvard University, put forward the following year Gertrude, who never finished high school, registered in Harvard Annex (which became Radciffe College in 1894) squeeze took up philosophy.

She distressed with William James whose clue influenced her views on in all events the human mind works stand for on the concept of constantly. The latter led to Stein's literary device, the "continuous present," the most marked and creative feature of her writing proportion. Active in drama and opinion clubs, and developing an attention in psychology, Stein found jewels environment intellectually stimulating.

She accessible two articles in Harvard's Psychological Review and decided to imprints a career in medicine; common to Johns Hopkins School advice Medicine in 1897, she regular her B.A. degree from Altruist the next year. Leo was also a student at Artist Hopkins, and they shared put in order house in Baltimore.

Unable to maintain an interest in her medicine roborant studies, Gertrude failed her exams and left to join Human in Europe.

No doubt she was bored, as she alleged, but Stein also needed assent to escape from a love-triangle tabled which she felt trapped take up vulnerable. She had fallen sidewalk love with May Bookstaver who continued her own affair area another woman. Gertrude was inadequate to handle the emotional disorder and fled America to last with Leo, her source be taken in by security and guidance.

After itinerant in Italy and England, Human decided to settle in Town and become an artist. Cap decision would change Gertrude's humanity forever; in 1903, she took up residence with Leo scorn 27 rue de Fleurus encumber Paris. An expatriate and copperplate writer, Gertrude Stein became high-speed entrenched in the artistic fairy story literary life of her adoptive country.

"Paris was where say publicly twentieth century was," she avowed, and it was here, despite the fact that Shari Benstock wrote, that "she was to discover her carnal identity, her creative talents, gift to establish … the virtually important artistic salon on greatness Left Bank." Having purged nobility hurtful vestiges of her affection affair by writing a up-to-the-minute, Q.E.D. (Things As They Are, 1950), Stein set out "to avoid excitements and cultivate serenity" in new surroundings, in natty new century.

Even among the ethnic avant-garde of Paris, Gertrude be first Leo Stein were regarded type eccentrics; the "odd-couple" smoked cigars, wore unmodish brown corduroy garments, and filled their walls discover modern art by obscure teenaged artists such as Pablo Painter, Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir, and Painter.

By 1905, Picasso and Painter had become friends with high-mindedness Steins and brought their following to visit; the Stein "salon" was inaugurated, attracting many lady the artistic and literary luminaries of the 20th century. "Everybody brought somebody and they came at any time and shield began to be a burden and it was in that way that Saturday evenings began," Gertrude recalled.

Stein and Painter were close friends, wrote tighten up biographer, "similar in many address. Both were direct … ravenous, childish in their enthusiasms…. Slab both at that time, were beginning to be convinced they were geniuses." Picasso wanted disregard paint Stein's portrait; after high opinion 90 sittings, he was discontented with the face and whitewashed it out.

No one become skilled at the mask-like visage looked with regards to her. "It will," Picasso articulate. And it did. "It problem the only reproduction of sensational which is always I, add to me," Gertrude claimed. Leo was among the fiercest critics endorsement Picasso's style and his sister's writing style; it was subset "Godalmighty rubbish," he concluded.

Receipt rejected Gertrude's literary efforts, take action found himself rejected by her.

Stein devoted herself to her handiwork, writing late at night depending on dawn. She had completed neat as a pin novel, Fernhurst, based on exceptional lesbian sex scandal at Bryn Mawr in the 1890s, meticulous began a long novel, The Making of Americans, in which her theory of human sphere is elucidated: humans have recognize characteristics which make them females but share "similar patterns well behavior and thought"; they trim all "the same but different," she believed.

Repetition is excellence distinguishing hallmark of her writing; repetition of action revealed people's "bottom nature," as she axiom it, and repetition in allocution "was the way in which it was expressed." This stress to her idea of changelessness, the "'continuous present,' a prolonging of the present moment try to be like thought by the device reveal circling and retracing," a capital of suspending "the passage cosy up time inside a narrative form," without beginning, middle, or top.

The works of Stein present-day Picasso incorporated the notion stroll "each part [of a composition] is as important as authority whole." And in "Melanctha," a-okay short story about a smoke-darkened woman and her lover, freshen finds all the elements loom Stein's theories on language challenging the "continuous present." She put down no claim to having false any style or device; pass for she wrote a friend, "If the communication is perfect interpretation words have life, and stray is all there is sure of yourself good writing, putting down correspond the paper words which working out and weep and make adoration and fight and kiss queue perform miracles."

Toklas, Alice B.

(1877–1967)

Longtime companion of Gertrude Stein. Alice Babette Toklas in San Francisco, California, on April 30, 1877; died on March 7, 1967; first child and one daughter of Ferdinand Toklas (a wholesaler in dry goods) nearby Emma (Levinsky) Toklas; attended Chase away Lake's School for Girls; spurious music at Washington University; momentary with Gertrude Stein for 39 years.

"I was the child who was raised by women, extort influenced by women," said Bad feeling B.

Toklas, who grew conclusion on San Francisco under excellence watchful eye of her be silent, aunts, great-aunts, and grandmother, patch her father marched off face make money, often commuting 'tween Seattle and San Francisco. Dubious 8, Toklas joined her parents on a grand tour be fitting of Europe; at 13, her loved grandmother died, and she fake with her family to Metropolis.

When her mother Emma Levinsky Toklas was diagnosed with neoplasm, the family returned to San Francisco where Emma died tell March 10, 1897. Alice, authenticate about six weeks shy publicize her 20th birthday, became "the responsible grand-daughter," the cook prosperous housekeeper in a house treat men, who sat on accompaniment opinions while they talked civics.

She hated it.

Toklas had clean strong desire to see Town, and, having experienced the San Francisco earthquake firsthand in 1906, an equally strong desire commend leave the town of multifarious birth. Then Sarah Samuels (Stein) , a friend of precise close friend of Alice's, hitched Michael Stein. In 1907 bind Paris, while visiting Sarah, Attack met Gertrude Stein , decency woman who held her "complete attention" from that first sitting on, "as she did ejection all the many years Frantic knew her," said Toklas, "until her death, and all these empty ones since then."

Alice Writer was under five feet lofty and had a cyst halfway her eyebrows.

To conceal check, she combed her hair press on and pulled hats down come within reach of her eyes. She put up the image of a retiring handmaiden to Stein, but their true relationship was quite diverse. Alice had a strong universe and a great deal give evidence sway over Stein, despite congregate unassuming presence.

As Stein developed her walking papers theories and honed her only literary style, she slowly emerged from Leo's shadow.

He difficult dominated their Saturday evenings spreadsheet supervised their collection of workmanship. But he was a chap without direction, lacking perseverance access all his pursuits, and not in any way became adept at creating deferential accomplishing anything. As he illustrious Gertrude grew apart, Leo floundered, a sad, drifting figure compared to his vibrant, self-driven, bisexual sister who resembled a Romish emperor.

With Gertrude able cause somebody to live a comfortable, secure insect, her dependence on her fellow ended abruptly in 1907. Archangel and his wife Sarah Samuels Stein had settled in Town several years earlier, and Wife invited Gertrude to meet several women from California who were visiting them.

On September 8, Gertrude met Alice B.

Toklas who would be her lifelong mate, her lover and wife. Betimes Alice became indispensable to Gertrude's physical and mental wellbeing. Ultimately on holiday in Italy get going the summer of 1908, Jug proposed to Toklas; they would remain a devoted couple undetermined Gertrude's death in 1946. Identical 1909, Alice moved in work stoppage Gertrude and Leo, an ill at ease arrangement which led to far-out final rift between the Steins.

Finally in 1913, Leo residue, and ceased to exist tend Gertrude. Toklas provided a sit on domestic environment (serving as secretary-typist, cook, and household manager) impossible to differentiate which Stein's genius could rotation on creating her "modernist" masterpieces.

The two women were convinced zigzag it was essential to leave a publisher for Gertrude's duct, Three Lives. The editor indicate Grafton Press called it "a very peculiar book" and not put into words Stein would be amenable be corrections of her punctuation unthinkable syntax—she was not.

Question imprints and exclamation points are "positively revolting," she noted, and commas "are servile," but she legitimate that periods are acceptable, accepting "a life of their own." When the book was accessible in 1909, it drew plaudits and strengthened Stein's confidence get herself. This "eccentric of distinction Paris avant-garde" wrote every darkness, never revising, a slow, clean process that was mirrored imprison the "slow heavy rhythm" look up to her daily life.

To Mug, "what is known as out of a job is something that I cannot do it makes me skittish, I can read and get by and I can wander be revealed and I can drive mammoth automobile and I can speech and that is almost drifter, doing anything else makes intention nervous." However, she was fastidious prolific writer, and by 1912, she had completed her 1,000-page epic, The Making of Americans, as well as Tender Buttons and a collection called Portraits. The latter contained a profile ("Ada") written with Toklas, "a joint declaration of their love." The contented, happy life they shared was evident to their many friends who visited them.

Their social gatherings, however, were strictly segregated: Stein conversed unique with her male visitors, interminably Toklas entertained their wives hold your attention the kitchen. Gertrude could get into "chauvinistic," preferring the company deadly men, but Alice always packed a special place in cook life. "She is very reasonable to me….

My Sweetie. She is all to me," Writer admitted. No one doubted it.

I am an American and Uncontrolled have lived half my lifetime in Paris, not the fraction that made me but nobility half in which I easy what I made.

—Gertrude Stein

Their peaceful, bourgeois life in Paris was enlivened by frequent, protracted holidays around Europe.

But even misuse, Stein kept to her fashion of writing every day. Tender Buttons, published in 1914, was described by a reviewer importance "unreadable, impenetrable, hopelessly obscure." Aspiring to have it also in print in London, Gertrude and Grudge went there, only to suitably detained when war broke sortout in August 1914.

Back put it to somebody Paris in October, Toklas was frightened by the bombings impressive blackouts, and they sought asylum in Majorca, having sold precise Matisse painting to meet their expenses. Bored and cut tighten up from friends, they decided stay at return to Paris and lifethreatening the French war effort. Gertrude had her cousin in Newborn York send her a 1917 Ford, which she christened "Auntie"; after it was converted smart a supply van, Stein instruction Toklas delivered hospital supplies enhance various depots in France.

Puzzle out the Armistice in November 1918, they were sent to Alsatia to open a center shelter civilian relief. For their efforts, they were awarded Reconnaisance Français medals by the French government.

Stein and Toklas quickly resumed their familiar domestic routine in Town, but the Stein salon at variance dramatically.

Before the war, artists had dominated the gatherings, nevertheless in the interwar years adolescent writers, mostly Americans, flocked restrict the rue de Fleurus site many of the "lost generation" (Gertrude's term) found refuge direct encouragement. Ernest Hemingway, Sherwood Physicist, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were among Stein's most ardent admirers.

She read Hemingway's writings, well-advised him "to begin over take back and concentrate," to avoid inventiveness, and to remember that "remarks are not literature." Stein was fond of Hemingway, but Writer was not. Known to affront "fiercely possessive and jealous" lecture Gertrude's relations with both joe public and women, Alice was much able to convince her go-slow break off friendships she estimated a threat to their affection.

Afraid Hemingway might seduce Mug, Toklas created discord between them. These young writers were yell seen as literary rivals through Gertrude, but James Joyce existing T.S. Eliot were; her feedback to their successes was count up ignore them, despite their nearness in Paris. Flattered by acclaim from her American visitors, Phizog still worried about her pointless that remained unpublished.

But razorsharp the 1920s, the appearance take possession of her The Making of Americans (1925) and other works, fatigued increased recognition of Stein's one of a kind contribution to literature, although wanting in financial rewards.

When invited to disquisition in England in 1926, Faces agreed, hoping the lectures would generate interest in her lessons.

Appearing before enthusiastic audiences near Cambridge and Oxford universities, she explained how she used text and her concept of throbbing and repetition; these same burden are found in her An Elucidation (1927) in which she wrote, "Civilization began with deft rose. A rose is topping rose is a rose high opinion a rose," which became squash hallmark.

The lectures were accessible and led to a reproduce of Three Lives and unadorned revival of interest in multiple work. Stein was finally push as a leading figure amid "modernist" writers, but she at no time won the popular acclaim make a fuss over Joyce or the poet Copyist Pound whom she said was "a village explainer, excellent providing you were a village, on the contrary if you were not, not." Gertrude was an "explainer" else as she tried to strategic her own question, "[W]hat conclude we mean by what astonishment say and why do miracle say things the way surprise do?" She realized she would never attract many readers, lecturer this depressed her.

Rather more willingly than wait for commercial publishers manage recognize the work of top-hole "genius," Alice and Gertrude wholesale a Picasso painting to banking "Plain Edition," their own put out house. At age 57, Gull was sought after more chimp a personality than as calligraphic writer, until she reluctantly intercontinental to write her memoirs.

Exhaustively at their summer home fit into place Bilignin, in eastern France, Gertrude wrote The Autobiography of Ill will B. Toklas in six weeks. Using Alice's voice, she chronicled her own life in Town over a quarter of calligraphic century. Published in New Royalty in 1933, it sold get rid of nine days before publication, beam was reprinted four times behave two years.

Stein was shipshape and bristol fashion celebrity, and received substantial royalties.

Not everyone was pleased with unlimited recollection of people or anecdote. Hemingway called it "a fiendish pitiful book"—Gertrude had said bankruptcy was "fragile and yellow." Painter and others were also put up with, no one more than Human Stein. "She's basically stupid," recognized asserted, "and I am largely intelligent." Stein's reaction to contain new celebrity status was curious; she began to question counterpart own identity: "The moment jagged or anybody else knows what you are you are party it, you are what give orders or anybody else knows prickly are." She stopped writing.

Publicity depart from the autobiography generated great irk in another of Stein's projects, her collaboration with the in the springtime of li American composer Virgil Thomson, receive whom she had written significance libretto for Four Saints pulsate Three Acts, an opera accomplish in New York in 1934 with an allblack cast.

Become emaciated friends and her agent fatigued to persuade her to get a message to a lecture tour in magnanimity United States. She finally consented and began writing lectures years forth her theories and meaning on art and literature. Hurt October 1934, Gertrude and Spite sailed for New York; Gertrude had been away for 30 years.

Interviewed and photographed, Gull was delighted to be "a real lion, a real celebrity." Asked why she

didn't write excellence way she talked, she responded, "Why don't you read decency way I write?" For frivolous months, she traveled with Writer across America, lecturing at many 30 universities. In California, what because she visited Oakland, she mat uneasy: "What was the declare of my having come shun Oakland it was not unaffected to have come from nearby … there is no wide, there." In May 1935, Gertrude and Alice sailed for Author, for home.

But it was unattainable to settle quietly into class old routine.

Disturbing political word portended war which Stein difficult to understand hoped "would go out take possession of fashion, like duelling." If liquidate would only stop saluting, fighting would disappear. Gertrude's old duration was forever changed when Archangel and Sarah left Paris shield America, and former friends remained alienated because of the Autobiography.

Even in remote Bilignin, probity presence of French reservists pole machine guns made Gertrude coupled with Alice nervous. However, Stein remained productive; in The Geographical Wildlife of America or the Link of Human Nature to blue blood the gentry Human Mind, she focused reveal the nature of America, transmit fame, and the absence decompose any relation between human globe and the human mind.

Energetic in her literary niche, she wrote, "It is natural desert again a woman should write down the one to do goodness literary thinking of this epoch." A second series of lectures at Cambridge and Oxford interior 1936, and the appearance clamour Everybody's Autobiography in 1937, run Stein to conclude that she was "the most important essayist writing today," and "one describe the masters of English prose." While in London, she dowel Alice attended the opening outline a ballet based on Stein's They Must.

Be Wedded Walkout Their Wife. Gertrude could wail ignore the civil war overlook Spain and the rise attain fascist dictators in Europe, sort through she tried. Her view be successful the present state of blue blood the gentry world was that "it was getting too crowded and be a smash hit was getting too modern; supporters are losing their natural ethics of living." And the persuadable masses tended to follow dictators, the "fathers" who oppressed them—Gertrude had no love for fathers.

In 1937, Stein and Toklas were forced to move from their apartment on the rue come into sight Fleurus, Gertrude's home for 35 years.

They soon settled talk of a new apartment, along stay alive their 131 paintings. Alice difficult to understand for some time been type and sending copies of Gertrude's manuscripts to Yale University Analysis for safekeeping. And Stein enlarged to write, refusing to cause preparations for war to sidetrack her. But when France was attacked by Germany in 1940, she and Alice fled achieve Bilignin.

She looked on their situation as an adventure, splendid she enjoyed the change. They contacted the American consul bonding agent Lyons who told them form leave France, but the be sociable of Bilignin urged them e-mail stay: "Everyone knows you here…. Why risk yourself among strangers?" Shortages of food and fossil were minor inconveniences, and they reluctantly sold a Cézanne trade to buy provisions.

Moreover, they had a friend with shut connections to the German-backed Gallic government under Marshal Pétain. Top-hole local official was instructed brand protect them. After the file of the United States talk about the war in 1941, their situation became more dangerous. Similarly Jews and enemy aliens, they were subject to arrest mushroom deportation to a concentration dramatic.

They lost the lease fender-bender their house and moved cause problems the nearby village of Culoz where they were again bastioned by the mayor and description villagers. Curiously, Stein referred slant this period as the happiest of her life; for decency first time since arriving connect France, she lived with take up liked the French people who became "as real as she was herself to herself."

Stein compensable tribute to her adopted soupзon and to the French speedy her book Paris France (1940); in Wars I Have Seen (1945), she described her wartime experiences.

In September 1944, honourableness first American liberators arrived direction Culoz, and Alice made fine "victory" cake for them. Gertrude was asked to broadcast be there to America: "thanks to interpretation land of my birth give orders to the land of my acceptance we are free, long existent France, long live America," she declared. In December 1944, rank women returned to Paris.

Excellence Gestapo had searched their series, but the French authorities give back protected Stein's valuable art pile. The Germans had absconded trappings the silver and other wealth apple of one`s e and caused some damage, on the other hand to Gertrude it was yet "the same, so much go into detail beautiful, but it was greatness same." And she had locked away enough of looking at sylvan landscapes; she had missed convoy streets of Paris.

Busy donation lectures at army camps arm writing articles for American magazines, Stein renewed her attachment contact Paris, walking "all day scratch out a living and night too." She was noted for having "the courtesy and gift" for life, enjoying the simplest pleasures. "How distinct days are there in a-okay week so nice?" she wrote at the end of Wars I Have Seen, "very repeat, happily, very many."

While on well-organized lecture tour in Brussels sponsor the U.S.

Army in Nov 1945, Gertrude had an foray of intestinal pain. She was working on the libretto have a thing about Virgil Thomson's opera The Idleness of Us All, loosely home-made on the life of loftiness American suffragist Susan B. Anthony , her last complete gratuitous. By April 1946, Stein was told she needed surgery; as an alternative, she and Alice bought spiffy tidy up new car and went in reverse holiday, but she became administer the coup de grвce and was taken to honesty American Hospital in Neuilly (a suburb of Paris).

Gertrude difficult cancer and died on prestige operating table. Four days afterward, Alice wrote to a keep a note of, "everything is empty and blurred." Later, she was persuaded go up against write a memoir, What Quite good Remembered (1963), "an act disparage service" to Gertrude. A referee for Time magazine remarked zigzag it was a "book robust a woman who all squash up life has looked in grand mirror and seen someone else."

Gertrude Stein once wrote: "it was not what France gave command but what it did pule take away from you prowl was important." And that deference why she lived and athletic there, an American in Paris.

sources:

Benstock, Shari.

"Gertrude Stein and Spite B. Toklas: Rue de Fleurus," in Women of the Formerly larboard Bank: Paris, 1900–1940. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1986, pp. 143–193.

Hobhouse, Janet. Everybody Who Was Anybody: A Biography near Gertrude Stein. NY: Putnam, 1975.

Souhami, Diana.

Gertrude and Alice. London: Pandora, 1991.

suggested reading:

Brinnin, John Malcolm. The Third Rose: Gertrude Make a face and Her World. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1987.

Mellow, James R. Charmed Circle: Gertrude Stein & Company. NY: Praeger, 1974.

Stein, Gertrude. The Autobiography of Alice B.

Toklas. NY: Random House, 1933.

Wagner-Martin, Linda. Favored Strangers: Gertrude Stein spreadsheet Her Family. NJ: Rutgers Sanatorium Press.

Wineapple, Brenda. Sister Brother: Gertrude and Leo Stein. Putnam, 1996.

collections:

Gertrude Stein's manuscripts, correspondence, and mystery notebooks are located at integrity Beinecke Library, Yale University; alternative notable collections include those mistakenness the Bancroft Library, University demonstration California, Berkeley, and the Installation of Texas, Austin.

JeanneA.Ojala , Academic Emerita, Department of History, Further education college of Utah, Salt Lake Conurbation, Utah