Biography of Gertrude Stein (Allegheny/Pittsburg, 1874 - Paris, 1946)

By Sara Prieto García-Cañedo
Translation by Raquel Boix and Dahra Mautone

Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now Pittsburg), Gertrude Stein belongs to the group of American artists, intellectuals, and writers who chose to expatriate to France in the early 20th century. Like Henry James or Edith Wharton, Stein was drawn to the charms of the City of Light and established her residence in Paris in 1903. A pioneer of avant-garde literature in English and an art collector, Stein hosted literary and artistic figures such as Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse. During her time at Radcliffe College, a women's college affiliated with Harvard University, Stein studied psychology. Her fascination with the complexity of the human mind, along with her interest in Cubism and other artistic avant-gardes of the time, deeply influenced her literary composition and experimentation.

In the early 20th century, Stein traveled to Spain on several occasions, visiting cities such as Granada, Madrid and Majorca. Her first trip took place in 1901 when she came to Spain with her brother Leo. Later, she visited Spain in 1911, 1912, 1913 and 1915, when she temporarily settled in Majorca with her partner Alice B. Toklas to take a break from the First World War. In 1916, they both returned to France to actively volunteer in support of the Allies.

Stein's friendship with Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris sparked her fascination with Spanish culture and its avant-garde. In texts like The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (1933), Stein discusses what Spain meant to her and how her experiences there, particularly her connection with Picasso, influenced the development of her literary experimentation. This is reflected in works such as Four Saints in Three Acts (1927) and in poems like «Susie Asado», «Preciosilla», «Mallorcan Stories», and in her short texts such as «In the Grass (on Spain)» and «I must try to write the History of Belmonte». In her writings, Stein adapts some Spanish stereotypes and rewrites them from an experimental and abstract perspective, attempting to capture «the rhythm of the visible world».