F. Scott Fitzgerald: Pillar of American literature

One of the greatest authors of the 20th century, this American man of letters is widely known for The Great Gatsby, his most brilliant novel, short stories as well as poems, which makes him a versatile literary genius. Later in his career, he turned to Hollywood, writing and revising screenplays.

Born as Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald on September 24, 1896, in the city of Saint Paul in Minnesota, US, to Edward Fitzgerald and Molly Fitzgerald. He was born into a family of aristocrats. His father was an executive at Procter & Gamble at the time of his birth. Till the age of 12, Fitzgerald lived in Buffalo, New York, where he studied at the Holy Angels Convent before enrolling at the Nardin Academy. Even at such a young age, Fitzgerald showed a keen interest in literature and had an eye for details.

Career
In 1918, Fitzgerald returned to New York City after the conclusion of the First World War and took up a job in an advertising agency called Barron Collier. He took up the job to earn enough money to marry Zelda Sayre, a girl he had fallen in love with.

He started working on his first novel, This Side of Paradise, and it was in the year 1919 that the manuscript was accepted by Scribner’s. The book was published the next year and quickly became a bestseller. The success of the book convinced his long-time love interest Sayre that he was capable of making money with his writing skills.

In 1922, he published his second novel titled The Beautiful and Damned, which dealt with the life of a couple from the cream of society. Fitzgerald then decided to try his hand at writing for movies. In 1937, he went to Hollywood looking for work. He wrote plenty of short stories for various publications, worked on movie scripts and also worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a while.

Major Works
The success of his first novel landed him writing opportunities with popular magazines like The Saturday Evening Post and Esquire. These magazines were known to pay their writers well.

He also wrote short stories to supplement his income. In 1925, while he was still in France, Fitzgerald finished his best work The Great Gatsby, which is regarded as his literary masterpiece. It deals with the concept of the mythical American Dream. It has sold millions of copies worldwide since its publication in 1925.

Also called From President to Postman, The Vegetable is the only play Fitzgerald wrote. Zelda Fitzgerald reportedly wrote that it “flopped as flat as one of Aunt Jemima’s famous pancakes.” Scott wrote the play between 1921 and 1923, following a central character named Jerry Frost. It was actually a short story which he had adapted into a play, but the play did not do very well. In fact, Fitzgerald left before the final act during its first performance.

Awards & Achievements
In spite of being one of the most influential writers of his generation, Fitzgerald did not win many awards during his lifetime. In 2009, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Personal Life & Legacy
Fitzgerald got married to Zelda Sayre, whose father was an Alabama Supreme Court judge, on October 26, 1921. The couple had a daughter named Frances Scott Fitzgerald, who went on to become a popular journalist and writer. On December 21, 1940, at the age of 44, Fitzgerald died of heart attack at his home in Hollywood. He was buried at St Mary’s Cemetery in Rockville, Maryland.

Interesting Facts
From 1919 to 1938, Scott Fitzgerald began writing in a business ledger after moving to New York. While it contained important financials, the most interesting section was Outline Chart of my Life.

Fitzgerald attended Newman School, located in Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1911. At that time, his teachers advised him to take up writing as a profession due to his skills as a writer. He enrolled at Princeton University but left in 1917 as he could not pursue academics with literary pursuits. He enrolled in the army after his manuscript for the Romantic Egotist was rejected by a publisher.

Struggling financially because of the declining popularity of his works amid the Great Depression, which was a severe economic depression, he turned to Hollywood, writing and revising screenplays.

Rejected by a suitor and discouraged by his lack of success at Princeton, he enlisted in the United States Army. He was under the command of Captain Dwight Eisenhower, future Army general and US President.