The Great Gatsby

"Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand."- F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in Minnesota and he died on December 21, 1940 in Hollywood, California. He was born in an upper-middle class family. His father, Edward Fitzgerald was form Ireland but he moved to the United States after the American Civil War. His mother, Mary McQuillan, was the daughter of an Irish immigrant which made their whole fortune in the grocery business. Scott Fitzgerald spent his early life

Years later, he was unable to convince her that he could support her economically so she decided to break of the engagement. By this time he was no only writing stories but he was also working in repairing car roofs. After his engagement breakup, he returned to his hometown and revised The Romantic Paradise. This revised novel was accepted by Scribner's in 1919 and was finally published on March 26, 1920. It became an instant success and it sold approximately 41,000 copies in the first year. This novel launched Fitzgerald's career as a writer. He supplemented his income by writing short stories for magazines like The Saturday Evening Post, Esquire, and Collier's Weekly. He also sold his stories and novels to Hollywood

By the end of the 1920s Fitzgerald descended into drinking, and his wife, Zelda, had a mental breakdown and she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. During this time, Fitzgerald worked on his latest book, Tender is the Night. Some critics saw this book as an autobiography of Fitzgerald's problems with his wife, the effects of wealth, his egoism and self-confidence, and his alcoholism. After this unsuccessful novel, he moved to Hollywood and became a scriptwriter. He died of a heart attack in 1940, at age 44, with his final novel only half completed. The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is considered Fitzgerald's finest work. This novel centers in Nicks and Gatsby's strange friendship and his pursuit of a married woman named Daisy, which lead to his exposure as a bootlegger and eventually his death. Although this novel was not well sold when it was published, years later after Fitzgerald's death this story became really famous and it is considered as one of the greatest American novels ever