World War 1 was a very emotional and destructive experience for people
around the globe. The expression "Lost Generation" is a term coined by the
well-known Gertrude Stein, designating the many young writers who fled
America to the extraordinary Ville des Lumieres, that is, Paris. On their arrival
in Paris, the only shelter they had was of the best-known american writer in
Paris, Gertrude Stein. She was an idol, a star, a goddess among these
youths, and believed herself to have the duty to guide them, as Paris guided her.
Born in a middle-class family and being the youngest Gertrude had all
the privilages. She was the fifth child of Daniel and Amelia Stein. She spent
her early childhood in the upper middle class surroundings of Allegheny,
Pennsylvania. "...there you are privileged, nobody can do anything but take care of you, that
is the way I was and that is the way I still am, and any one who is like that necessarily liked
Plaque at No 27 Rue de Fleurus, Paris 6th, where G...
Alice B. Toklas (1877–1967) photographed by Carl...
Gertrude Stein's birthplace (February 3, 1874) and...it. I did and I do." (Gertrude Stein 1935)
At the age of three, the little girl undertook her first trip to Europe. In about
four years the family traveled to Vienna and Paris. On their return to America,
they settled in in Oakland, California, where Gertrude found a great
interest in litterature. She was eight when she first attempted to write. During her
early years, she also strenghened her relationship with her older
brother Leo two years her senior, they remained the closest friends during most of their early lifes.
After the sad death of their father, Gertrude was moved to Baltimor
and for a while stayed there with her wealthy uncles and aunts. She later
attended Radcliffe college, where she studied phylosophy and psychology. With a
remarkable ease she earned top marks on...