So who is Gertrude Stein?
Europeans and Americans regard her as the mother of postmodernist literature, and are given the title of "hostess of the chief salon of modern literature". Her creation in literature is simply the pinnacle of people's imagination:
But what attracts her even more is her identity:
1 Sharon Godmother
When Stein lived in France, she held art salons in her home in Paris every weekend, and the artists in Paris at that time were proud to be close to her, and almost all the people who came out of her salons became masters of the literary and artistic world, and their prestige even overshadowed Stein himself.
Looking at the great masters of art – Picasso, Hemingway, Fitzgerald (author of The Great Gatsby), Matisse (sculptor), etc., I have to admit that Stein took the title of "Hostess of the Chief Salon of Modern Literature" with honor and deserved.
Sir Xiong must say here about Stein's friendship with Hemingway and Picasso -
(1) Hemingway
The title page of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises has this sentence
This is Stein in his salon, pointing to the nose of Hemingway, who was still a nameless boy at the time, and saying, "You are all a lost generation", which Hemingway treasured in his book.
Stein also suggested that Hemingway go to Spain to see bullfighting and learn the bravery of the fighters, which made Hemingway say, "Gertrude Stein and I are like brothers."
(2) Picasso
Stein had a 40-year friendship with Picasso, who bought his paintings (with great vision) to fund him before he became famous, and Picasso also painted a portrait of her, which she hung in her living room in Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris.
2 Live like a man
Usually we think of the salon hostess as a goddess-like existence! But Stein's image killed us a lot—
Very fat (more than 180 pounds)
Very strong (not puffy, strong!). ）
I love to eat (I love beef my favorite)
Stein also cut his hair in the style of a Roman emperor!
And also! She is lesbian, and the word "gay" has a gay connotation that comes from her novel. When the "macho" Stein first met the emaciated Ellis, he decided that Ellis was the woman she wanted to protect for the rest of her life: "She listens to you, she is docile, stupid, but she can possess you." 」
What a Mary Sue!
Imagine Stein in his own salon, talking with his friends, swallowing mountains and rivers, and talking like Caesar about a hot love affair with a loved one.
3. Narcissism is paramount
She likes to describe herself as "genius":
For example, in her biography of Ellis (a biography written for herself in the guise of Ellis): "I have only met three geniuses in my life, and these three are Stein, Picasso, and Wyheit."
When she was a student, Stein turned in a white paper for the philosophy exam, and she wrote on the paper in a neat manner: "I'm really sorry, I don't like this philosophy exam paper at all today." She got the highest score in that semester's philosophy class, and at that time she already thought that she was a genius, a darling, and that everyone had to respect her.
She also said in a big way: "English literature created the 19th century, American literature created the 20th century, and I created the American literature of the 20th century."