Gertrude Stein

by Michael J. Hoffman

"Gertrude Stein - American Writers 10 " was first published in 1961. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to make long-unavailable books once again accessible, and are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.

159 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the bookstore where I work, they carry "Little Golden Book" bios on pop culture figures such as Taylor Swift, Maya Angelou, and Simone Biles. And while the readership is older and the text more academic for the University of Minnesota Pamphlets on American Writers series, the intent is the same: Brief overviews of lives of note. I'm saddened to report that Issue No. 10, devoted to Gertrude Stein, has been penned by a man whose misogynist assessment of this doyenne of avant garde lit is begrudging at best. For while he admits to the genius of her story "Melanctha" and acknowledges some importance re: her novel "The Making of Americans" and her opera "Four Saints in Three Acts," he also dubs her "an old maid eccentric" and never truly celebrates what a brilliant essayist she is despite continual references to "Lectures in America" and "Composition as Explanation." One could argue that Stein deserves a place in the canon based on her memoirs alone but Hoffman prefers to focus on Stein's more experimental prose, while altogether bypassing an opportunity to delve into the playful narratives of works like "Yes is for a very young man" and "The World Is Round."