F. Scott Fitzgerald (born September 24, 1896 – died December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter, widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel *The Great Gatsby* (1925), a defining work of the Jazz Age.
Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald attended Princeton University but left before graduating. His literary career began with the success of *This Side of Paradise* (1920), and he quickly became a prominent figure in New York’s literary and social scene. His novels captured the flamboyance and excess of the 1920s, often exploring themes of ambition, love, and disillusionment.
Fitzgerald’s tumultuous relationship with his wife Zelda Sayre, his financial struggles, and his battle with alcoholism deeply affected his later work. Though *The Great Gatsby* was not widely recognized during his lifetime, it later achieved critical acclaim and is now considered an American classic.
He spent his final years working in Hollywood as a screenwriter. Fitzgerald died in Los Angeles at the age of 44. His literary legacy endures, with *The Great Gatsby* frequently cited as one of the greatest novels in the English language.
Date of Birth: September 24, 1896
Place of Birth: Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Nationality: American
Known for: The Great Gatsby, Jazz Age literature, *This Side of Paradise*, *Tender Is the Night*
F. Scott Fitzgerald is recognized as the chronicler of the Roaring Twenties. His works reflect the glamour and moral ambiguity of the era, influencing generations of writers and readers alike.
Financial hardship and personal difficulties defined Fitzgerald's later years. He died of a heart attack in Los Angeles in 1940, believing himself a failure. Posthumous recognition restored his reputation as one of America’s greatest literary voices.
F. Scott Fitzgerald died on December 21, 1940, at age 44. Today, his work is studied in literature courses worldwide, and his legacy lives on in film, theater, and popular culture.
| Year | Title / Work | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novels | |||
| 1920 | This Side of Paradise | Novel | Debut novel |
| 1922 | The Beautiful and Damned | Novel | Jazz Age satire |
| 1925 | The Great Gatsby | Novel | West Egg mythos |
| 1934 | Tender Is the Night | Novel | Riviera tragedy |
| 1941 | The Last Tycoon | Unfinished novel | Published posthumously |
| Short Story Collections (Lifetime) | |||
| 1920 | Flappers and Philosophers | Story collection | Scribner debut volume |
| 1922 | Tales of the Jazz Age | Story collection | Jazz Age canon |
| 1926 | All the Sad Young Men | Story collection | “Rich Boy” era |
| 1935 | Taps at Reveille | Story collection | “Babylon Revisited” |
| Short Story Collections (Posthumous) | |||
| 1951 | The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald | Story collection | Key posthumous set |
| 1960 | Babylon Revisited and Other Stories | Story collection | Core selections |
| 1962 | The Pat Hobby Stories | Story collection | Hollywood satire |
| 1965 | The Apprentice Fiction of F. Scott Fitzgerald | Early fiction | Juvenilia volume |
| 1973 | The Basil and Josephine Stories | Story collection | Series characters |
| 1974 | Bits of Paradise | Story collection | With Zelda works |
| 1979 | The Price Was High | Story collection | Uncollected stories |
| 1989 | The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald | Story collection | Collected reissue |
| 2017 | I’d Die For You: And Other Lost Stories | Story collection | Recovered pieces |
| Letters (Posthumous) | |||
| 1964 | The Letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald | Letters | Curated correspondence |
| 1971 | Dear Scott/Dear Max | Letters | Perkins letters |
| 1972 | As Ever, Scott Fitz— | Letters | Ober correspondence |
| 1980 | Correspondence of F. Scott Fitzgerald | Letters | Expanded selection |
| 1994 | F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters | Letters | Biographical letters |
| Other Works & Major Editions | |||
| 1923 | The Vegetable | Play | Stage comedy |
| 1945 | The Crack-Up | Essays / notebooks | New Directions volume |
| 1958 | Afternoon of an Author | Stories & essays | Editorial apparatus |
| 1981 | Poems 1911–1940 | Poetry | Bruccoli edition |
| 2000 | Novels and Stories 1920–1922 | Collected edition | Library of America |
| 2001 | Before Gatsby: The First Twenty-Six Stories | Story collection | Early-story set |
| 2022 | The Great Gatsby, All the Sad Young Men & Other Writings 1920–1926 | Collected edition | Library of America |