Customer Reviews

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

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Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) is a singularly problematic writer whose work is very difficult to describe. In 1902 Stein moved to France and spent most of her adult life in that country; upon arriving she was quickly caught up in the Paris arts scene and soon became one of the earliest champions of such artists as Picasso and Matisse. Under their influence, Stein sought to translate the various arts movements and styles that swirled around her into literary forms.

The result was an incredibly idiosyncratic body of work in which Stein tended to use language for the sake of language. Often described as stream of conciousness, Stein's work tends to divide readers and critics. Some greatly admire Stein; an equal number consider her a non-talent with a gift for self-promotion. Whatever the case, her writings proved unexpectedly influential in "high art" circles.

Stein, a lesbian, met Alice B. Toklas about 1907, and the two remained a couple until Stein's death. Those who knew Toklas through Stein's numerous social events describe her as a small, ordinary woman with a tendency to fade into the background; in a world made up of artists and their wives, Stein played the role of artist and Toklas played wife.

Published in 1933, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALICE B. TOKLAS is often described as Stein's "most widely accessible" work. That is true only in the sense that Stein generally writes in a linear style and without the obvious word-games to which she was prone; the book is not typical of her work in either respect. On the other hand, it is extremely typical of Stein in terms of concept. The book is essentially a view of Stein's world as it might have been described by the uncritical Toklas, presented in her voice and related in terms of what Toklas herself might have found most interesting.

Stein herself seems to have regarded AUTOBIOGRAPHY as an elaborate literary prank written to amuse herself and those who moved through in circle, and the nature of that prank should be obvious from the title and authorship. Clearly, one person cannot write the autobiography of another, and while it might be reasonable to describe the book as the autobiography of Gertrude Stein the fact that it is filtered through Toklas' personality does not quite allow for that either.

Whatever the case, AUTOBIOGRAPHY is a deliberately superficial work. Throughout the book Toklas describes Gertrude Stein as a great genius--but it is Stein, not Toklas, who writes, and so we really learn nothing on this point. The same is true of the many other names that swirled through Stein's life: Stein could have told a great deal and frequently hints as much--but the Toklas mask knows nothing about artists and art is consequently a great deal more interested in the hats worn to the party than in the people who wore them.

If all of this sounds complicated, it is, and it begs all sorts of questions about what is fact, what is fiction, how much is accurately Toklas, and--most particularly--the fundamental nature of Stein's body of work as a whole. Was she really the genius that she proclaimed herself to be? Or was her proclamation a deliberate joke? Should her works be regarded as innovative masterpieces or was she a literary prankster? If the latter, does the marked succcess of these pranks actually grant her some claim to genius after all?

Beats me, and I'm hardly alone in that response. Critics have argued about all this and more for decades and will likely continue to do so for decades more. I will say this: while I rather like Stein in limited doses, I do not recommend her to the casual reader. Taken cold, her work is more likely to frustrate and annoy than fascinate and inspire. If you are determined to read Stein, you really should read a fair amount about her first--and in the case of THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALICE B. TOKLAS you would do well to have a solid working knowledge of early 20th Century art as well.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
In Memory of James and Shamsi Hyre
Killed 29 August 2005 in Ocean Springs, Mississippi
By Hurricane Katrina

"The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" made Gertrude Stein a household name in America in the 1930s, and for good reason. This is Stein at her most accessible and I must highly suggest it for any first-time readers of this literary genius. The book has a light, breezy tone, interesting subject matter (Picasso & various renowned artists pop up throughout), and Stein's trademark intellectual brilliance. The device of using Toklas as an approach to Stein's life is certainly interesting and is responsible for some of the most entertaining passages. And this book is certainly entertaining, thanks to Stein's supreme wit and her clever descriptions of the people she interacts with and situations she finds herself in. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who haven't read Stein before. Her vivacity, wit, intelligence and skill are on display here in an accessible, classic work.

Gertrude Stein's playful and witty story of her life with Alice Toklas (told via the life story of Alice) chronicles nearly thirty years, up to 1932. Crackling with energy and zest, the story unfolds like conversation at a party where Picasso, Hemingway, Matisse, and others are in attendance, and the reader is introduced to them all in succession. Documenting not only their exciting life together, the book also takes us through the dangers of World War 1, as well as detailing Stein's writing activities. Ultimately, it is Gertrude Stein herself who shines throughout the book, through the lens of Toklas, and it is this portrait crisp and alive that makes this the most well-known of her works.

This is the book that brought Stein into mainstream society, and not without reason. Considerably more accessible than her other work, she relays the story of her life through the personna of Alice B. Toklas, her life-long companion. Primarily consisting of remarks about the various movers of the Paris art and literary scene that took place at the turn of the century, Stein, above all, isn't afraid to say just what she thinks. However, her wry anecdotes and asides are not written without the greatest of attention to style, and the reader finds each sentence to be representative of the orignality in grammatical structure that made her famous.

This book is an interesting look at the art and literary scene of Paris at the turn of the century. This book is actually more of an autobiography of Gertrude Stein, but supposedly is written through the eyes of her longtime companion Alice Toklas. Many who knew Toklas said that Stein imitated her voice and style perfectly, and perhaps that is why it is considered such a great work of literature. For my part I enjoyed the narrative, thought I was not particularly fond of the way it was written. I realize this is a style unique to Stein, but it just didn't work for me.

The most fascinating part of this work is seeing such great figures as Picasso and Hemingway through the eyes of Stein/Toklas. Even TS Eliot makes a brief appearance. The narrative is very interesting for this reason--with all these great figures around, how could it not be amusing? And, of course, Stein does not hesitate to use the medium of Toklas to proclaim that she is one of the three actual 'geniuses' that Toklas has ever met (incidentally, this short list excludes both Hemingway and Eliot). In fact there is an awful lot of egotism apparent throughout this book, and it is very irritating at times. Still, this is a very interesting look at Paris before, during, and after the first World War, and provides fascinating insight into a circle of painters, musicians, and literary figures that I'm sure many people would gladly give a limb to have belonged to.

I do have a confession to make regarding Gertrude Stein. You may not know this but the woman is a genius. Why you may ask? Because she tells us this over and over and over again in the book. I do have to admit that at first I had to suppress the urge to shred this book/autobiography/memoir to shreds. I grew immensely jaded reading the raw prose with not a hint of of emotion throughout.

Thankfully, I eventually saw the light. It finally clicked.

Gertrude Stein was a woman in the time of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso, Matisse, Ezra Pound and T.S.Eliot. Quite simply she needed to stand out as a literary figure. Historians would later call this artistic time period the Roarin' Twenties. Stein needed a way to disconnect with other prominent figures and still remain in the literary circle. She did this by well executing this book.

Though seemingly told through the perspective of her partner Alice B. Toklas, truly we are hearing Stein's. Her memories of meeting fascinating artists and writers in Paris are mind boggling. She adores the Parisian culture but also loves to be an American. Stein is very clever with how she formulates sentences in this book. She remarks on more than one occasion her obsession with the English language. Specifically the use of sounds. She begins to - paint - a novel with her words. Like the artist Picasso, who she is most fascinated with, her novel begins to paint a sort of cubist realism. There is no fluff here. And despite the very limited way she describes characters we eventually begin to see a full picture of them through Toklas/Stein's written words. Her words in way merge words, ideas, sounds, and create art.

We also see how certain artists inspire other artists. Picasso and Matisse were inspired by African art but they made in into their own by what they created. Picasso, upon seeing a camouflaged cannon, remarked to Stein that THEY created this. Artists created this perception of hiding something within plain sight.

Stein discusses nationalism constantly. She remarks on many occasions that Spaniards and Americans can understand one another because they can "realize abstraction." The americans do this with machinery and literature, and the spaniards with the ritualistic bullfighting and bloodshed. In that way, both are also abstract and cruel. She also hashes it out with germans, parisians, italians, polish, etc. She categorizes people and their personality traits by their national identity.

I really enjoyed that everyone came to her villa, that she shared with Tolkas, and asked for her advice on their literary work. She inspired much reverence by her companions and peers.

This by far is one of her more readable and enjoyable books. My advice is to go in with an open mind and truly appreciate her genius for what it is. I came in with stubborn intentions and almost missed out on a fantastic work of art.

This is an odd little book but an enjoyable one. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas was actually written by, and focuses on, Gertrude Stein. She presents herself as a rather enigmatic figure. She is the intimate friend of a number of first-rate artists and writers, and she maintains a legendary Paris salon. She identifies herself as a genius - actually, one of a group of three geniuses, the other two being Pablo Picasso and Alfred North Whitehead - but she doesn't feel compelled to justify the characterization. The narrative is essentially a chronology of a series of dinners, parties, and other outings with the names of the people who came. A very dry wit is occasionally seen, as when Picasso and cubist painter Georges Braque go to see an art dealer wearing their "newest and roughest clothes." The tone of the narrative is relaxed and friendly and it seems that Alice and Gertrude Stein had fun, if nothing else.

Those looking for a straightforward narrative, go elsewhere but those looking for charming insights into the heart of the Parisian bohemian scene from roughly 1905-1933, this is the book. Stein's genius was to write the book as if one was actually having a conversation with her partner, Alice B. Toklas. Famous figures come in and out of the story: Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Fitzgerald, Hemingway. Not only is this a book about people but it's also a book about the heady days before World War 1 and the general unease and regrouping that was done after the war. You get plenty of insights about the art scene, and by the end of the book, find yourself wishing you could be sitting in Stein's salon, looking at all the paintings.

This book can be read straight through from cover to cover or it can be read in bits and pieces and there is no lack of enjoyment from reaidng it either way.

Split into 7 chapters, chronologically identified but the topic not necessarily so well organized, this book has great moments, and less than great moments.

First, the book's preface is that it is an autobiography of Stein's long time partner, Alice B. Toklas. Realizing this preface is nothing more than a ruse - which Stein acknowledges in the last sentence of the book - you immediately understand that it is Stein's autobiography which refers to Stein in the third person.

Second, the preface is that this is fiction. I would argue that it is mostly nonfiction.

In the beginning, the idiosyncratic and egocentric Stein distances herself from readers - other reviewers were gravely upset by her self proclamation of being a genius only equaled by Picasso. But, that juvenile repertoire soon succumbs to Stein's maturation - as a person and as a writer. I too disliked the first chapter where she mainly seeks to receive adoration for having hobnobbed with the avant garde of the turn-of-the-century impressionists and surrealists in Parisian art society.

But, she was there and she was part of that time when painting was a major art form in Paris. It was not only exciting to her, but was exciting to those she hobnobbed with. She was the original American in Paris.

Stein's autobiography is outlined in Chapter 4. She gives you her history up to the time she moves to Paris and becomes part of the art scene. In this chapter, she writes one of my favorite paragraphs. " . . . I feel with my eyes, and it does not make any difference to me what language I hear, I don't hear a language, I hear tones of voice, and there is for me only one language and that is english. One of the things that I have liked all these years is to be surrounded by people who know no english. I do not know if it would have been possible to have english be so all in all to me otherwise." (Stein never capitalizes countries)

One friend comes to stay with her, and upon observing the lifestyle of the people to whom Stein is befriended, asks, ". . . is it alright, are they really alright, . . but really is it not fumisterie, is it not all false." And, probably most is fumisterie - so what of it? That is the attitude which defines and describes the artists and their friends at this time.

Then came WW I. Fumesterie and coffee-and-a-croissant philosophy withered when touched by man's horrors. Matisse, Hemingway and Apollinaire were physically reduced by the war. Many others were mentally drained. Stein reflects on how people would become tired for the simplest of tasks. It was a phenomenon which she, a Johns Hopkins' educated psychologist, had to observe with a keen eye.

And, her emotions, her world, her priorities too had changed. The last chapter discusses much less about art, and much more about literature. It can be said the first chapter focuses 90% on art and 10% on literature, while the last chapter focuses 90% on literature and 10% on art. Her friends, in the last chapter, are mainly writers. In the first chapter, they are mainly artists. Like Picasso's painting, her life is a Metamosphisis. And, that is what makes this book so very interesting to me.

She best acknowledges the change of her life in one simple sentence in the last chapter: " Painting now after its great period has come back to be a minor art." And, the new major art was literature - ruled by the Lost Generation of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Ford Maddox Ford and others.

And, so with the change, she remained in the hub

I just finished this book and I really loved it. Yes, Gertrude Stein is very conceited, and yes, sometimes the language is difficult to work through, but if you take the time to get through this book you will not regret it. It was so witty and subtley funny that I was smiling almost the entire way through. This book is definitely worth the time it took to read it.