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Gertrude Stein

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas was written in 1933 by Gertrude Stein in the guise of an autobiography authored by Alice B. Toklas, who was her lover. It is a fascinating insight into the art scene in Paris as the couple were friends with Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. They begin the war years in England but return to France, volunteering for the American Fund for the French Wounded, driving around France, helping the wounded and homeless. After the war Gertrude has an argument with T. S. Eliot after he finds one of her writings inappropriate. They become friends with Sherwood Anderson and Ernest Hemingway. It was written to make money and was indeed a commercial success. However, it attracted criticism, especially from those who appeared in the book and didn't like the way they were depicted.
314 printed pages
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Impressions

  • Olessia Islamovashared an impression8 years ago
    👍Worth reading

Quotes

  • Olessia Islamovahas quoted8 years ago
    I always say that you cannot tell what a picture really is or what an object really is until you dust it every day and you cannot tell what a book is until you type it or proof-read it. It then does something to you that only reading never can do.
  • Olessia Islamovahas quoted8 years ago
    After all, as she always contends, no artist needs criticism, he only needs appreciation. If he needs criticism he is no artist
  • Olessia Islamovahas quoted8 years ago
    Catholic Church makes a very sharp distinction between a hysteric and a saint. The same thing holds true in the art world. There is the sensitiveness of the hysteric which has all the appearance of creation, but actual creation has an individual force which is an entirely different thing.

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