Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was named after his distant relative Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner. Fitzgerald was born into an upper-middle-class Roman Catholic family. His father, Edward, was a salesman, and his mother, Molly, hailed from a wealthy family.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel, 'This Side of Paradise', was published on March 26, 1920. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account of Fitzgerald's years at Princeton University and the years immediately after. It is known for its portrayal of the era's young generation, and it was met with critical and commercial success, making Fitzgerald an overnight sensation at the age of 23.

F. Scott Fitzgerald married Zelda Sayre on April 3, 1920, in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. The couple had met in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1918 and became engaged before Fitzgerald went to serve in World War I. Their marriage was both passionate and tumultuous, often marked by financial struggles and mutual artistic ambitions. Zelda's mental health later became a significant issue in their lives.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, 'The Beautiful and Damned', was published on March 15, 1922. The novel is a portrayal of the New York City elite during the Jazz Age, telling the story of Anthony Patch and his relationship with his wife, Gloria. The book explores themes such as love, wealth, and moral decay. Although it did not achieve the same level of acclaim as 'This Side of Paradise', it helped to cement Fitzgerald's reputation as an important new voice in American literature.

On August 22, 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' was published in Collier's Magazine. The story describes the life of Benjamin Button, who is born with the physical appearance of a 70-year-old man and ages in reverse. This fantastical tale interrogates the traditional perceptions of time, aging, and identity, showcasing Fitzgerald's imaginative prowess. The story has been frequently anthologized and was adapted into a major film in 2008.

'The Great Gatsby', one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's most famous works, was published on April 10, 1925. The novel is set in the fictional towns of West Egg and East Egg on Long Island in the summer of 1922 and is widely regarded as a classic of 20th-century literature. Although it was not an immediate commercial success, 'The Great Gatsby' went on to become a staple of American literary reading lists and is celebrated for its exploration of themes such as class, wealth, and the American Dream.

On April 12, 1934, F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel 'Tender Is the Night' was published. The novel is set on the French Riviera during the late 1920s and explores the rise and fall of Dick Diver, an affluent American psychiatrist, and his wife, Nicole. Despite its mixed reviews and poor initial sales, the novel is now recognized as one of Fitzgerald's major works, highlighting his talent for capturing the complexities of human relationships and expatriate life in the interwar period.

Throughout the late 1930s, including early 1936, F. Scott Fitzgerald published a series of essays in Esquire magazine detailing his own struggles with financial instability and declining health, as well as reflections on his literary career and personal experiences. These essays, compiled in works like 'The Crack-Up', give an introspective and honest look into Fitzgerald's thoughts during the difficult last years of his life and reveal his enduring insight into human nature.

F. Scott Fitzgerald died on December 21, 1940, at the age of 44, from a heart attack in Hollywood, California. At the time of his death, he was working as a screenwriter and was in the midst of writing 'The Last Tycoon', a novel that was published unfinished after his death. Although Fitzgerald's works were not widely popularly appreciated during his lifetime, he is now considered one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, with a significant influence on literature.

'The Last Tycoon' was posthumously published on April 4, 1951. F. Scott Fitzgerald had not completed the novel at the time of his death, and it was subsequently edited and released by his friend and literary critic Edmund Wilson. The novel, based on the life of film executive Irving Thalberg, was renamed 'The Love of The Last Tycoon' by Wilson. Despite being unfinished, it has been acclaimed for its insight into Hollywood's Golden Age.