Deborah Levy's 'My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein' Review: A Witty Fiction
In Deborah Levy's latest work, My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein, readers are treated to a wonderfully entertaining blend of biography and fiction. This uncategorisable book, described as a witty scherzo rather than a traditional novel, delves into the avant-garde writer Gertrude Stein through the lens of three female friends navigating life in Paris.
A Narrative of Imagination and Relationships
The story begins with a lost cat named "it," a simple premise that spirals into linguistic explorations. The word "it" serves as a metaphor for various themes—from losing one's mind to the drudgery of housekeeping or the constraints holding back an artist. This clever device highlights how language shapes our perceptions of the trivial and the tremendous.
Set against the backdrop of Paris in November 2024, the month of Donald Trump's re-election, the framing story unfolds over just one month. The narrator, an English writer struggling to pen an essay on Stein, watches global conflicts on her phone, interrupted by adverts and the bells of Notre-Dame, blending modern anxieties with historical reflections.
Characters and Dynamics
The three friends at the heart of this fiction each bring unique perspectives. Eva, a Spanish-Danish graphic novelist married to a man in Seattle, appears angelic but reveals a commercially astute and emotionally cool nature. Her all-white apartment and fat-free meals mask a determined character who ultimately seeks to take over the Stein essay project.
Fanny, a French financier with three female lovers, is chic and often impatient, yet secretly vulnerable due to her father's homophobic rejection. Her actions, such as buying a rum baba bouchon for the narrator after a bicycle accident, show a complex blend of spite and kindness.
The narrator, older and lonelier, finds herself suspended between these friends, wandering Père Lachaise cemetery and grappling with the elusive "it" of Stein's life. A potential romance with a man met while searching for the lost cat adds a Buñuelesque twist, though it fizzles out as he only desires Eva's phone number.
Stein's Legacy and Levy's Approach
Levy does not aim to compete with Stein's biographers but instead offers a meditation on her life and work. Through astute quotes and vivid details, she brings Stein's Paris to life, from Chaïm Soutine's bedbug-infested ear to Marie Vassilieff's forceful handling of Modigliani. Stein herself is portrayed as forward-looking, never learning to reverse her Ford Model T, symbolising her unconventional spirit.
The narrator reflects that Stein, despite using simple words, did not believe in being understood, a sentiment echoed in the book's exploration of unfulfilled relationships and imagined encounters. This fiction thrives on what doesn't happen, challenging readers to find meaning in the gaps.
Conclusion and Impact
Despite Eva's declaration that the essay on Stein will never be written, Levy's book stands as a triumphant rebuttal—odd, inventive, and wonderfully entertaining. Published by Hamish Hamilton at £18.99, My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein proves that fiction can illuminate biography in unexpected ways, making it a must-read for fans of literary innovation.
