The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

Gertrude Stein

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas redefined the autobiography genre when it first came out. Written by Gertrude Stein on behalf of Alice B. Toklas, her partner, the book explores the possibilities of genre-bending with one person narrating as the other. The book follows the life of Alice B. Toklas and her life in Paris with Gertrude Stein.

Paris in the early twentieth century was the nexus of Modernism and culture-building. Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein had a front-row ticket to witness and be a part of these riveting discussions and debates. Their living room in Saturday Salons, 27 Rue de Fleurus, was turned into an epicentre of intense intellectual engagements.

Through this narrative, the reader gets to know some of the most influential creative geniuses of the time -- Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Sherwood Anderson, Henri Matisse, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Georges Braque -- before their claim to fame. The book explores the brilliant minds in the most intimate way – through their friendships.

The book serves as a chronicle of history sewn together by memories and lived experiences. It paints a vivid portrait of a community that went on to transform literature and art.