Francis Scott Fitzgerald is one of the key figures in English language literature of the first half of the 20th century, the author of five magnificent novels (including Tender Night and The Great Gatsby). His works are a kind of symbol of the "age of jazz" - this term was introduced into circulation by Fitzgerald himself, as he called the period in US history from the end of the First World War to the Great Depression.
Life before a literary career
Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born into a wealthy Catholic family in the small town of Saint Paul (this town is in Minnesota) in September 1896. He was named after his great-great-grandfather, who, incidentally, was the author of the words of the US anthem.
From 1908 to 1910, Francis Scott attended the St. Paul Academy, from 1911 to 1913 - Newman School, and from 1913 to 1917 - the most prestigious University of Princes. At Princeton, the young man went in for sports and composed stories for various contests.
In 1917, just before graduation, Fitzgerald dropped out and enlisted as a volunteer. Here he spent two years, but did not participate in real battles. Demobilized in 1919, Fitzgerald served as an advertising agent for some time, but failed to build a career in this area.
Fitzgerald's first three novels
While still in the army, the future writer met the charming Zelda Sayre - she was the daughter of a wealthy judge in Alabama and she was considered an enviable bride. Zelda seriously influenced Fitzgerald's further biography. She liked Francis Scott, but such a groom did not suit her parents too much: he had no definite income or income at that time.
This state of affairs made Fitzgerald return to work on his manuscript, which he had already sent to a couple of publishers before (however, they would certainly return it). In March 1920, Fitzgerald still managed to publish his debut novel, "On This Side of Paradise." This book instantly became a bestseller (many perceived it as a manifesto of a new generation) and made the budding author famous. And immediately after that, the marriage between Francis Scott and Zelda was finally concluded - they officially became husband and wife.
The first book brought Fitzgerald really a lot of money, which allowed the newlyweds to live in a big way. Their surnames often began to flicker in the yellow press. And two young people fueled the general interest in them - their life consisted of alcoholic parties (even then Zelda and Francis abused alcoholic drinks), ceremonial receptions, relaxation at the best resorts and scandalous antics, which were reported in detail by the newspaper.
Fitzgerald’s next novel, Lovely and Damned, appeared on bookstore stands in 1922. This novel describes a not-so-happy marriage of two wealthy representatives of the artistic and creative environment. The rights to the film adaptation of this novel were subsequently bought by movie magnate Jack Warner.
In the same 1922, Fitzgerald released the collection "Tales of the Century of Jazz", and in 1923 - the comedy play "Smudge".
In 1924, Francis Scott moved for a while to Europe - first he lived on the Apennine Peninsula, and then in France. While in the French capital, he met in a bar with another legendary writer - Hemingway. Francis Scott was only three years older than Ernest, and they quickly became friends.
In addition, in Paris, Fitzgerald completed work on the book The Great Gatsby, a book that is considered the main literary work of the "Age of Jazz." The action takes place in an elite area of New York, one of the characters is the mysterious rich Gatsby, who, by coincidence, is involved in the death of a young woman … The first edition of the novel sold poorly (only about 24, 000 copies were sold, modest at the time result), which, however, did not prevent Hollywood director Herbert Brenon from making a silent black and white film a year later.
Schizophrenia Zelda and the novel "The Night is Tender"
Returning from France to the States, the writer published a collection of short stories entitled "All These Sad Young People" (1926). Already at this time, the life of Francis Scott ceases to resemble a continuous holiday. His wife Zelda begins to go crazy and do crazy things (for example, one day, in a fit of jealousy, she rushed down the stairs of a restaurant). Francis, in turn, begins to drink even more often than before, he has a long creative crisis. In 1930, doctors diagnosed Zelda with schizophrenia, and from that moment on she spent most of her time in clinics.
In 1934, after a long break, Fitzgerald released the novel Tender Night. This delicate and colorful novel tells the story of a love triangle involving psychiatrist Dick Diver, his wife Nicole, suffering from schizophrenia (a similar situation, of course, was well known to Francis Scott), and the young actress Rosemary, in love with Dick. Contemporaries in the United States at first did not appreciate this wonderful book. Fitzgerald at some point even suggested that one of the publishers revise the novel, but did not have time to implement it.
