Geography and Plays

Of the three great books published 1922/23--Ulysses, The Wasteland, and Geography and Plays--I rate Stein's work the highest. It is a bit daunting at first, though you will probably be amused at least by the wit on every page. But for experiments in poetry, plays, and prose, it by far outstrips Joyce and Eliot. The one essential modernist work. So advanced it is actually postmodernist in its approach to its audience, including, as it does, echoes of what is happening now around her so as to achieve a release from time and to become essentially timeless. Try it and see. This is a great investment. The first edition in four separate bindings is worth seeking out, though Stein tends to be pricey. But just read it in any edition. You'll love it. Bob Finley