Ida A Novel

Gertrude Stein wanted Ida to be known in two ways: as a novel about a woman in the age of celebrity culture and as a text with its own story to tell. With the publication of this workshop edition of Ida, we have the novel exactly as it was published in 1941, and we also have the full record of its creation. Logan Esdale offers informative critical commentary and judiciously selected archival materials to illuminate Stein's experience of authorship from the novel's beginning in early summer 1937, through the various drafts and negotiations with her publisher, to the reviews that greeted the book's publication. Stein's careful and systematic preservation of all Ida-related materials for her archive at the Yale University Library was a conscious decision, and an invitation for us to study the complexity of her creative process. 

Ida, a character reportedly inspired by Wallis Simpson, the infamous Duchess of Windsor, is someone who becomes well known for being well known. In the novel, a mature Stein explores the significance of being well known to others and the effect that has on where we live and who we love. She offers an engaging picture of Ida's adventures in the world of identity, as well as a fascinating reflection on her own career as a famous personality.