Big Apple History . Arts and Entertainment . F. Scott Fitzgerald


	F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

When aspiring author F. Scott Fitzgerald arrived in Manhattan, he wrote a letter to his sweetheart Zelda declaring: "I am in the land of ambition and success." He was as enchanted with the city as he was with her. In a short time, Scott and Zelda would become extremely rich and would take on a symbolic role as the king and queen of the decadent 20s, also known as the "Jazz Age."

Named after his great-uncle Francis Scott Key, author of the "Star-Spangled Banner," Fitzgerald struggled initially to find success as a writer. Over 120 publishers rejected his first novel, THE ROMANTIC EGOTIST. So, he earned his living by writing advertising jingles. When Zelda, worried about his career, broke off their engagement, Scott went on a drinking binge then revised the novel. Two weeks later, a publisher agreed to print it under a catchier title, THIS SIDE OF PARADISE.

By summertime, the novel was a hit and the Fitzgeralds were celebrities. Like the characters in his stories, Scott and Zelda attended wild parties in mansions, and spent their wealth shamelessly. In 1925, Fitzgerald wrote his most famous novel, THE GREAT GATSBY. In it, Fitzgerald explores how the pursuit of the American Dream can lead people to abandon personal and moral responsibility. (Though a brilliant writer, Fitzgerald seemed to lack a talent for picking popular titles. Instead of THE GREAT GATSBY, he argued strongly for calling this classic TRIMALCHIO IN WEST EGG.

Illustration: Courtesy of the Princeton University Library.