Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularized in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age. During his lifetime, he published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. Although he achieved temporary popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald received critical acclaim only after his death and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
Fitzgerald was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to a middle-class Catholic family. He attended Princeton University, where he met his future wife, Zelda Sayre. After graduating from Princeton, Fitzgerald served in the United States Army during World War I.
Fitzgerald’s first novel, This Side of Paradise, was published in 1920. The novel was a critical and commercial success, and it established Fitzgerald as a major voice of the Jazz Age. His other novels include The Beautiful and Damned (1922), The Great Gatsby (1925), Tender Is the Night (1934), and The Last Tycoon (1941).
Fitzgerald’s short stories were also highly acclaimed. His most famous short stories include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (1922), “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” (1922), and “Babylon Revisited” (1931).
Fitzgerald’s work is characterized by its glamour, wit, and sharp social commentary. He was a keen observer of the Jazz Age, and his novels and stories capture the era’s sense of decadence and excess. Fitzgerald’s work also explores themes of ambition, loss, and the American Dream.
Fitzgerald’s personal life was often troubled. He struggled with alcoholism and financial problems. His marriage to Zelda was also tumultuous, and they divorced in 1932. Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in 1940 at the age of 44.
Despite his troubled personal life, Fitzgerald’s work has had a lasting impact on American literature. His novels and stories are still read and studied today, and they continue to be relevant to modern readers. Fitzgerald is a major figure in American literature, and his work is considered to be some of the finest of the 20th century.
