This evocative portrait of the artists that made Paris tick in the early 20th century is a perfect introduction to the world of contemporary art and literature . . . and to Paris! On any day of the week, if you cross Paris’s Luxembourg Gardens, you will come to a cobbled street called rue de Fleurus. Follow it to number 27, and you will arrive at Gertrude Stein’s home. Inside, she and her friend Alice B. Toklas are getting ready for their soiree with Pablo Picasso, Max Jacob, and some other friends. While they are tidying, Pablo is at his easel, working on a painting. His brilliant black eyes never leave the canvas. And what is Max doing? Well, he is completely absorbed in a poem he is writing.