F. Scott Fitzgerald
One of the most famous writers of the 1920's
Early Life
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896. You are probably thinking " Hey doesn't Francis Scott Key sound like the guy who wrote the Star Spangled Banner?" Well you technically would be right, but Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was not the same one who was the author of our national anthem. They were however distantly related and Francis Scott Key was the namesake of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, or F. Scott Fitzgerald as he is more commonly known. When Fitzgerald was a child, his father lost his job as a salesman for a company known as Procter and Gamble. His family was still able to do okay money wise because Fitzgerald's mother had a large amount of inheritance from her parents that they lived off of. He was first published in his school newspaper at 13 years old. He started to enjoy writing more than school and began to "slack off" some. He did get into Prinston, but promptly dropped out to further pursue his new found passion.
Later Life and Career Significance
Once Fitzgerald was completely out of school, he joined the army and was stationed in Montgomery, Alabama. While stationed there, he meant his future wife and muse for many of his later novels, Zelda Fitzgerald. I'm sure she loved him, and I wouldn't exactly say she was a gold digger, but she broke off their first engagement because Fitzgerald's first book he had submitted to a company was rejected, and he wasn't exactly "rolling in the dough". When his book was re-edited and submitted again, it was not rejected and Fitzgerald's writing became very popular and made him extremely wealthy in a matter of weeks, (at which point Zelda agreed to marry him, just saying).He then went on to write several famous books that were popular in the Jazz Age, and still today and considered classics. Some of his novels, especially The Great Gatsby, have been made in to motion pictures several times including the most recent version that came out just last year. Also the Curious Case of Benjamin Button has been made into a movie. Unfortunately Fitzgerald's later life was not filled with the same glamour and partying lifestyle that inspired his earlier books. He a acquired a drinking problem and they discovered his wife had a mental illness. By the end of his life, his best and most extravagant days were behind him, but one things for sure, his writing's changed American history. I actually got to read The Great Gatsby a few months ago, and it truly inspired me to want to write more, and read more of his fantastic work. His descriptions of life in the 20's through the characters in his books is like how people today describe living the 21'st century from different viewpoints today. For example the young girl writer Malala who has written about some of the stuggles of being a girl in the 21'st century in the third world. Both they're books have very different topics, but they equally descibe living in their time periods with fresh view points, which is something I think changes America today, and part of the reason Fitzgerald's books were especially popular during his time.
Fitzgerald with his beloved wife
A younger Fitzgerald
Procter and Gamble logo
This was the company that Fitzgerald's father worked for before he was fired.
Tender Is The Night
One of Fitzgerald's later books