Alice B. Toklas

Alice B. Toklas (April 30, 1877 – March 7, 1967) was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century. She is best known as the life partner of writer Gertrude Stein. Toklas was born in San Francisco, California, and moved to Paris in 1907, where she met Stein on the very first day she arrived. Together, they hosted a Paris salon that attracted expatriate American writers, such as Ernest Hemingway, Paul Bowles, and Thornton Wilder, and avant-garde painters, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Georges Braque.

Early Life

Alice Babette Toklas was born into a middle-class Jewish family in San Francisco. After the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, Toklas moved to Paris, joining a community of writers, artists, and intellectuals. Her meeting with Gertrude Stein would mark the beginning of a lifelong partnership, both personally and professionally.

Life with Gertrude Stein

In Paris, Toklas became Stein's confidante, lover, cook, secretary, muse, and editor. Together, they navigated the cultural landscape of Paris, becoming central figures in an art movement that would shape modernism. Their salon at 27 rue de Fleurus was a gathering place for the leading artists and writers of the time.

Literary Contributions

While Toklas is often overshadowed by Stein, she made her own contributions to literature and art. She is the author of The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook (1954), which is best known for its recipe for "hashish fudge," a concoction that has led to the book being popularly associated with cannabis culture. The cookbook is part memoir and part culinary archive, offering insights into the Parisian avant-garde's social and culinary habits.

Legacy

After Stein's death in 1946, Toklas published several books, including What Is Remembered (1963), which ends abruptly with the death of Stein, underscoring the centrality of Stein to Toklas's life. Toklas's legacy is often intertwined with Stein's, but she remains a fascinating figure in her own right for her contributions to literature, culinary arts, and as a witness to a pivotal moment in cultural history.

Death

Alice B. Toklas died in poverty at the age of 89 in Paris. She is buried next to Gertrude Stein in the Père Lachaise Cemetery.