Gertrude Stein was a writer, poet and an ardent collector of Modernist art. She rejected the conventional style of early nineteenth-century literature and developed an abstract manner of expression that was similar to the work of the Post-Impressionists and Cubists in the visual arts. She spent a large part of her childhood in Europe and was able to develop a taste for the contemporary art and literature. When she moved to France with her brother, she collected a number of valuable pieces of painting which included Cubist works of Picasso and Gris, now regarded as masterpieces. Her residence in France became the destination, every Saturday, of talented writers and painters. When she started writing, her works were rejected by publishers and printers. Her eccentric style of writing poems was regarded as difficult, experimental and inaccessible. She held the view that “artists do not experiment” and most of her works were related to lesbianism, which was hard for the publishers to digest. The women's movement started a new interest in her poetry. Her memoir, ‘The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas’ went on to become a literary bestseller. Since the 1970s, her works have attracted feminists as statements of rebellion against a male-dominated society. Scroll down and learn all about this prolific writer.