Gertrude Stein (Allegheny; February 3, 1874 - Neuilly-sur-Seine; July 27, 1946) was an American writer of novels, poetry, and theater. Stein is considered a pioneer of modernist literature. Her work broke with the linear narrative and temporal conventions of the 19th century. Stein was also known as a major collector of modern art.

In 1933, Stein published her Paris memoir, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, written from the point of view of Toklas, her life partner. The book became a best-seller, transforming Stein's relative "literary obscurity" into a cult figure of light that gained widespread attention.