Three Lives

'Three Lives' (1909) is a collection of novellas by Gertrude Stein. Characterized by its straightforward narrative style and disjointed prose, it proved a breakthrough for Stein, who had previously found it difficult bringing her works to publication. Each novella is set in Bridgepoint, a fictionalized version of Baltimore, where working class people of all races undergo the dignities and indignities of life in an industrialized nation.