The Life & Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota. There, he attended Saint Paul Academy where his passion for writing began. At thirteen, he completed his first story that was published in the Academy’s newspaper. Later, Fitzgerald moved to New Jersey and attended the Newman school for two years from 1911 to 1913. Fitzgerald went on to attend Princeton University; there he wrote scripts and lyrics for the musicals performed at the University. He also contributed greatly to the Princeton Tiger and Nassau Literary Magazines.

Although Fitzgerald intended to graduate from Princeton University in 1917, he decided to join the U.S. Army where he became a lieutenant instead. During this time, he wrote, “The Romantic Egotist,”a clever book that was denied by the publisher due to Fitzgerald’s lack of revisions. Soon, Fitzgerald and his troop were moved to a fort in Montgomery, Alabama. There, in 1918, Fitzgerald met and fell in love with eighteen-year old Zelda Sayre. Their blossoming relationship influenced his writing and contributed to his success. One year later, in 1919, Fitzgerald was discharged from war with the full intention that he marry Zelda. Unfortunately for Fitzgerald, Zelda grew impatient and felt he was not making enough money, so she broke off the engagement.

The broken engagement fueled Fitzgerald to jump back into writing. In July 1919, he returned to St. Paul to complete This Side of Paradise. In autumn of 1919, Fitzgerald began his job as a writer for numerous publications such as the renowned Saturday Evening Post. One year later, This Side of Paradise, his autobiographical story focusing on romance and avarice, was published. Fitzgerald’s book led to his rapid fame, which prompted h...

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...en heart attack, leaving his last Hollywood novel The Love of the Last Tycoon unfinished. His novel was later published in 1941.

Works Cited

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"F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Jan.

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Merriman, C. D. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." The Literature Network. Jalic Inc., 2007. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.

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University of South Carolina. "A Brief Life of Fitzgerald." A Brief Life of Fitzgerald. Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina, 04 Dec. 2003. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

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