“THE GREAT GATSBY”
Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota to a once well-to-do family that had lost much of its wealth and influence. A wealthy aunt sent Fitzgerald to boarding school in New Jersey in 1911, and later to Princeton. Although Fitzgerald engaged actively in theater, arts and other campus activities, his financial background was considerably poorer than those of his classmates, and he resented what he perceived as his outsider status. He left Princeton after three years and joined the Army during World War I. During his army service, he was stationed in Montgomery, Alabama, where he fell in love with Zelda Sayre, daughter of a State Supreme Court justice. She rejected the young man, fearing he would not be able to support her. Fitzgerald moved to New York and wrote the autobiographical novel This Side of Paradise (1920), which immediately launched the 23-year-old writer to fame and fortune. Impressed by his success, Zelda agreed to marry him, and the two began a whirlwind life of glamorous parties and extravagant living in New York. Unfortunately, the Fitzgeralds lived far beyond their means and soon found themselves deeply in debt. They moved to Europe, hoping to cut back on expenses. There, they befriended other expatriate writers including Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. While in Europe, Fitzgerald finished his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby (1925). However, Europe proved no cheaper for the Fitzgeralds. As the couple's debts mounted, Fitzgerald plunged into alcoholism and his wife suffered several breakdowns. In 1937, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood to try screenwriting. He fell in love with Sheilah Graham, a prominent Hollywood gossip columnist, stopped drinking and began renewed literary efforts. In 1940, while in the midst of writing a novel about Hollywood, The Last Tycoon, Fitzgerald died of a heart attack at the age of 44. The Last Tycoon was published posthumously in 1941.
