[161], In contrast to his friendship with Scott, Hemingway disliked Zelda and described her as "insane" in his memoir, A Moveable Feast. [209] In 1933, journalist Matthew Josephson criticized Fitzgerald's short stories saying that many Americans could no longer afford to drink champagne whenever they pleased or to go on vacation to Montparnasse in Paris. What do you want? . [396] Fitzgerald acquiesced to this request, but the passages were restored in later reprints after Fitzgerald's death. She was far more than merely the wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, who called her "the first American flapper.". [141] She spent afternoons swimming at the beach and evenings dancing at the casinos with him. For other people with these names, see, F. Scott Fitzgerald circa 1917 and Chicago socialite. [330] Whereas he composed his novels with a conscious artistic mindset, money became his primary impetus for writing short stories. [280] According to Professor John Kuehl of New York University: "If you want to know about Spain, you read Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. [232][233] Despite earning his highest annual income up to that point ($29,757.87, equivalent to $560,922 in 2021),[232] Fitzgerald spent the bulk of his income on Zelda's psychiatric treatment and his daughter Scottie's school expenses. Fitzgerald was also named after his deceased sister, Louise Scott Fitzgerald, one of two sisters who died shortly before his birth. Although she initially rejected Fitzgerald's marriage proposal due to his lack of financial prospects, Zelda agreed to marry him after he published the commercially successful This Side of Paradise (1920). At the time, she says, she wasnt all that interested in the project and may have given the impression that she didnt approve. "[106] In Fitzgerald's eyes, the era represented a morally permissive time when Americans became disillusioned with prevailing social norms and obsessed with self-gratification. Here was a new generation, shouting the old cries, learning the old creeds, through a revery of long days and nights; destined finally to go out into that dirty gray turmoil to follow love and pride; a new generation dedicated more than the last to the fear of poverty and the worship of success; grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken. [145] Jozan later dismissed the entire incident and claimed no infidelity or romance had occurred: "They both had a need of drama, they made it up and perhaps they were the victims of their own unsettled and a little unhealthy imagination. "[74] Despite mutual reservations,[87][88] they married in a simple ceremony on April3, 1920, at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. [1] By 1945, over 123,000 copies of The Great Gatsby had been distributed among U.S. [226] Nearly bankrupt, Fitzgerald spent most of 1936 and 1937 living in cheap hotels near Asheville. [182], The Fitzgeralds rented "Ellerslie", a mansion near Wilmington, Delaware, until 1929. [327], Due to this change, although Fitzgerald showed a mastery of "verbal nuance, flexible rhythm, dramatic construction and essential tragi-comedy" in Tender Is the Night,[289] many reviewers dismissed the work for its disengagement with the political issues of the era. You've read my books. The novel follows Nick and Gatsby's strange friendship and Gatsby's pursuit of a married woman named Daisy, ultimately leading to his exposure as a bootlegger and his death. [408] Richard Yates, a writer often compared to Fitzgerald, hailed The Great Gatsby as showcasing Fitzgerald's miraculous talent and triumphal literary technique. The lost children of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. [301] They highlighted the fact that the work had "almost every fault and deficiency that a novel can possibly have,"[302] and a consensus soon emerged that Fitzgerald's prosemanship left much to be desired. [304] His works skewered those "who take all of the privileges of the European ruling class and assume none of its responsibilities". All Rights Reserved. The book was inspired by his wife Zeldas struggle with mental illness. [107], During this hedonistic era, alcohol increasingly fueled the Fitzgeralds' social life,[108] and the couple consumed gin-and-fruit concoctions at every outing. Lanahan has poured her creative energy into visual storytelling. It would make her mad and upset, which I understand. [157], By the 21st century, The Great Gatsby had sold millions of copies, and the novel is required reading in many high school and college classes. [385] Wilson argued that Fitzgerald's early works such as This Side of Paradise suffer from the defects of being meaningless and lacking intellectual substance. In a real dark night of the soul, it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day. ', Astrological Sign: Libra, Fitzgeralds namesake (and second cousin three times removed on his father's side) was Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to the "Star-Spangled Banner.". [403] In her story, she is trapped in a loveless marriage with a wealthy man, yet still pines for Fitzgerald, a former lover from her past. [75], While revising his novel, Fitzgerald took a job repairing car roofs at the Northern Pacific Shops in St. The novel was published in 1920 to glowing reviews. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is F. Scott Fitzgerald's full name. Death Year: 1940, Death date: December 21, 1940, Death State: California, Death City: Hollywood, Death Country: United States, Article Title: F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/f-scott-fitzgerald, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: July 9, 2020, Original Published Date: April 3, 2014, What little I've accomplished has been by the most laborious and uphill work, and I wish now I'd never relaxed or looked backbut said at the end of The Great Gatsby: 'I've found my linefrom now on this comes first.'. [366][382], Although many contemporary critics and literary peers regarded Fitzgerald as possessing "the best narrative gift of the century. This is my immediate dutywithout this I am nothing. [184] In Spring 1929, the couple returned to Europe. Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald - ThoughtCo F. Scott Fitzgerald was a short story writer and novelist considered one of the pre-eminent authors in the history of American . [251] During his work on Winter Carnival (1939), Fitzgerald had an alcoholic relapse and sought treatment by New York psychiatrist Richard Hoffmann. [394], Throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald often drew upon the private correspondence, diary entries, and life experiences of other persons to use in his fiction. "[280], The Great Gatsby's popularity led to widespread interest in Fitzgerald himself. [245] After visiting several bookstores, he realized they had stopped carrying his works. [312] John V. A. Weaver predicted in 1922 that, as Fitzgerald matured as a writer, he would become regarded as one of the greatest authors of American literature. [257] As the couple left the Pantages Theatre, a sober Fitzgerald experienced a dizzy spell and had difficulty walking to his vehicle. [289] Summarizing Fitzgerald's artistic journey from apprentice novelist to magisterial author, Burke Van Allen observed that no other American novelist had shown such "a constantly growing mastery of his equipment, and a regularly increasing sensitivity to the esthetic values in life. [98] "They did both look as though they had just stepped out of the sun", Parker recalled, "their youth was striking. [119] Fitzgerald wished to halt the show and disavow the production. During our lunchtime interview, she inelegantly dumped her to-go container of salad onto a plate and giggled as it spilled all over the table. [261] When Fitzgerald's poorly embalmed corpse arrived in Bethesda, Maryland, only thirty people attended his funeral. Born in 1896 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to an upper-middle-class family, Fitzgerald was named after his famous second cousin, three times removed, Francis Scott Key, but was referred to as "Scott." Weve all inherited that. The pair had just one child, named Frances (or "Scottie"). Fitzgerald spent a portion of his childhood in Buffalo, New York while his father worked for Procter & Gamble. 5 daughters. [257] Watched by onlookers, he remarked in a strained voice to Graham, "I suppose people will think I'm drunk. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. "Scott Fitzgerald" and "Francis Fitzgerald" redirect here. Maxwell Perkins - Wikipedia During his lifetime, he published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. Scribner's later reissued the book under Fitzgerald's preferred title, Adaptations and portrayals of F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Jay Gatsby, Failed Intellectual: F. Scott Fitzgerald's Trope for Social Stratification", "F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lois Moran, and the Mystery of Mariposa Street", "Fitzgerald and Leacock Write Two Funny Books", "New Fitzgerald Book Proves He's Really a Writer", "Review of 'Redefining the American Dream: The Novels of Willa Cather', "The Younger Generation: Its Young Novelists", "The Real Jay Gatsby: Max von Gerlach, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the Compositional History of 'The Great Gatsby', "Short Stories From the Maturing Pen of Scott Fitzgerald", "Exile and the City: F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Lost Decade', "Fitzgerald, the Stylist, Challenges Fitzgerald, the Social Historian", "The Passing of Jay Gatsby: Class and Anti-Semitism in Fitzgerald's 1920s America", "Fitzgerald and Cather: The Great Gatsby", "The Structure Of The Outsider In The Short Fiction Of Richard Wright And F. Scott Fitzgerald", "Willa Cather's 'A Lost Lady': The Paradoxes of Change", "Mastering the Story Market: F. Scott Fitzgerald's Revision of 'The Night before Chancellorsville', "Scott Fitzgerald's Latest Novel is Heralded As His Best", "Almost a Masterpiece: Scott Fitzgerald Produces a Brilliant Successor to 'The Great Gatsby', "Why 'The Great Gatsby' is the Great American Novel", "Theatre: Study of 'The Disenchanted'; Writer on Downgrade Shown at Coronet", "Decoding Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris', "Garrison Keillor Hospitalized for Minor Stroke", "Takarazuka: Japan's Newest 'Traditional' Theater Turns 100", "F. Scott Fitzgerald Thought This Book Would Be the Best American Novel of His Time", "Tracing F. Scott Fitzgerald's Minnesota Roots", "Scott Fitzgerald and L.I. [135] He continued writing his third novel, which would eventually become his magnum opus The Great Gatsby. Some of his most notable stories include "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Camel's Back" and "The Last of the Belles.". Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. [40] Attempting to rebound from his rejection by Ginevra, a lonely Fitzgerald began dating a variety of young Montgomery women. He quit his job after only a few months, however, and returned to St. Paul to rewrite his novel. [134], In May 1924, Fitzgerald and his family moved abroad to Europe. "It was an age of miracles," Fitzgerald wrote, "it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.". I dont know how [Fitzgerald] would feel about the marketing, she adds, and notes that her grandfathers book wasnt well received until after he died. Lanahan even got on board with the 3-D format, which she says gave the story a surreal, almost fable-like quality. [48], Fitzgerald's Montgomery sojourn was interrupted briefly in November 1918 when he was transferred northward to Camp Mills, Long Island. [205] The novel did not sell well upon publication, with approximately 12,000 sold in the first three months,[206] but, like The Great Gatsby, the book's reputation has since grown significantly.[207]. Although Tender is the Night was a commercial failure and was initially poorly received due to its chronologically jumbled structure, it has since gained in reputation and is now considered among the great American novels. Born in 1896 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to an upper-middle-class family, Fitzgerald was named after his famous second cousin, three times removed, Francis Scott Key, but was referred to as "Scott." He was also named after his deceased sister, Louise Scott, one of two sisters who died shortly before his birth. troops. [229] The sudden death of Fitzgerald's mother and Zelda's mental deterioration led to his marriage further disintegrating. In an effort to abstain from alcohol, Fitzgerald drank large amounts of Coca-Cola and ate many sweets. His mother was of Irish descent, and his father had Irish and English ancestry. "[212], With his popularity decreased, Fitzgerald began to suffer financially and, by 1936, his book royalties amounted to $80. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost Generation" of the . [157], Surveying these posthumous attacks, John Dos Passos opined that many literary critics in popular newspapers lacked the basic discernment about the art of writing. Having once found the intensity of art, nothing else that can happen in life can ever again seem as important as the creative process. [404] As early as 1922, critic John V. A. Weaver noted that Fitzgerald's literary influence was already "so great that it cannot be estimated. [317][318], With the publication of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald had refined his prose style and plot construction, and the literati now hailed him as a master of his craft. Jared Paul Stern. [61] Likewise, Zelda's Episcopalian family was wary of Scott because of his Catholic background, precarious finances, and excessive drinking. "[32][33], Rejected by Ginevra as an unsuitable match, a suicidal Fitzgerald enlisted in the United States Army amid World WarI and received a commission as a second lieutenant. 7. When he was 13, he saw his first piece of writing appear in print: a detective story published in the school newspaper. [150] Upon its release on April10, 1925, Willa Cather, T. S. Eliot, and Edith Wharton praised Fitzgerald's work,[151] and the novel received generally favorable reviews from contemporary literary critics. There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired. [e][86] Although they were re-engaged, Fitzgerald's feelings for Zelda were at an all-time low, and he remarked to a friend, "I wouldn't care if she died, but I couldn't stand to have anybody else marry her. [312] Consequently, expectations arose that Fitzgerald would significantly improve with his third work. The story was centered on Amory Blaine, an ambitious Midwesterner who falls in love with, but is ultimately rejected by, two girls from high-class families. [346] "No generation of Americans has had a chronicler so persuasive and unmaudlin" as Fitzgerald, Van Allen wrote in 1934, and no author was so identified with the generation recorded. [388] Largely indifferent to politics, Fitzgerald himself ascribed the lack of ideational substance in his fiction to his upbringing, as his parents were likewise disinterested in such matters. "[194] He regretted Fitzgerald could not write novels, as he had to write magazine stories to pay for Zelda's psychiatric treatment. As Luhrmann noted on Colbert, Lanahan is an elegant lady but shes also endearingly down to earth. [223] From 1933 to 1937, he was hospitalized for alcoholism eight times. [309], Although critics deemed The Beautiful and Damned to be less ground-breaking than its predecessor,[310][311] many recognized that the vast improvement in literary form and construction between his first and second novels augured great prospects for Fitzgerald's future. Mark Twain. Burlington, VT 05401, Al Gobeille, Top Exec at UVM Health Network, to Resign, The Tangled Tale Behind the Abrupt Resignation of Middlebury Union High Schools Principal, Two Buildings That Straddle the Canadian Border Bedevil Tenants and a Health Inspector, How I Came to Understand My Introverted Daughter, Prima Ballerinas: A Dance Workshop Enables College Students and Kids With Special Needs to Learn From Each Other, Vermonters Are Going Back to the Movies Under the Stars, Oldies but Goodies: Classic Movie Recommendations for Kids and Teens, 1. "[299] His work, they declared, pulsed with originality. [239] Consequently, he moved in with Graham, who lived in Hollywood on North Hayworth Avenue, one block east of Fitzgerald's apartment on North Laurel Avenue. He moved in the major artistic circles of his day but failed to garner widespread critical acclaim until after his death at the age of 44. True Grit: Gravel Biking in Vermont Is Gaining Traction and Building Community, 2. There are no second acts in American lives. [149] Fitzgerald declined a $10,000 offer for the serial rights, as it would delay the book's publication. Although he achieved temporary popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald received critical acclaim only after his death and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. [60] Several of Fitzgerald's friends opposed the match, as they deemed Zelda ill-suited for him. [19] As the semesters passed, he formed close friendships with classmates Edmund Wilson and John Peale Bishop, both of whom would later aid his literary career. "[322] Gertrude Stein posited that Fitzgerald had surpassed contemporary writers such as Hemingway due to his masterful ability to write in natural sentences. Frances Scott Fitzgerald - Wikipedia [274] "The strange thing about the articles that came out about Fitzgerald's death," Dos Passos later recalled, "was that the writers seemed to feel that they didn't need to read his books; all they needed for a license to shovel them into the ashcan was to label them as having been written in such and such a period now past. "[98], As Fitzgerald was one of the most celebrated novelists during the Jazz Age, many admirers sought his acquaintanceship. [191] In February 1932, she underwent hospitalization at the Phipps Clinic at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. There, he met Father Sigourney Fay, who noticed his incipient talent with the written word and encouraged him to pursue his literary ambitions.
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