Really Reading Gertrude Stein: A Selected Anthology
A selected anthology of Gertrude Stein's poetry, fiction, and drama, compiled and introduced by poet and activist Judy Grahn. Organized in three sections, each prefaced by one of Grahn's essays, the book serves as a practical primer for readers who find Stein's work daunting. Grahn offers concrete reading strategies — reading aloud, suspending judgment — and draws on lesser-known Stein pieces, including 'Marguerite, or A Novel of High Life,' to illuminate how Stein distinguished between identity and essence. The approach is personal and intuitive rather than academic, making this an accessible entry point for newcomers to Stein's modernist world.
Work Information
"By suspending judgment and agreeing with myself to keep reading even when I can't find a way to recognize myself, I have begun to muddle into the landscape of her mind." — from Judy Grahn's introductory essay
Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), the American modernist who made Paris her home and hosted a salon frequented by Picasso and Hemingway, has long been celebrated and feared in equal measure for her radically experimental prose. This anthology, edited by poet and activist Judy Grahn, gathers selected poems, fiction, and drama from Stein's canon into three thematic sections, each introduced by one of Grahn's original essays. Rather than offering scholarly analysis, Grahn shares personal strategies for reading Stein — reading aloud, abandoning expectations about how a story 'should go,' and approaching the text as a living event rather than a historical artifact. Published by Crossing Press in 1989, the book won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Nonfiction in 1990.
Review Summaries
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Widely praised as an accessible introduction to Stein. Grahn's essays offer practical footholds into difficult texts, making the volume especially valuable for first-time Stein readers. Some note, however, that the straightforward vocabulary and concepts may feel too elementary for those already familiar with Stein's work.
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Featured on Grahn's own site as a signature work that reframes Stein's legacy through the lens of a lesbian feminist poet. Readers have responded warmly to Grahn's tone of respectful familiarity and her willingness to share personal strategies for entering Stein's writing.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Crossing Press
- Published
- 1989-10-01
- Pages
- 190 pages
- Language
- 英語
- ISBN-13
- 9780895943804
- ISBN-10
- 0895943808
- Price
- 5401 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction
Amazon.co.jp: Really Reading Gertrude Stein: A Selected Anthology : Stein, Gertrude, Grahn, Judy: 洋書