F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, known to most of us as F. Scott Fitzgerald, was an American writer active during the 1920s and 1930s whose more popular literary works were a reflection of the Jazz Age. If you’re drawing a blank, he’s the author of the American classic The Great Gatsby, a novel I am quite sure is required reading in every high school across America. He achieved success and celebrity at a very young age upon the publication of his first novel, This Side of Paradise, and after winning the heart of his muse, went on to live a parallel existence to that of his novel’s characters – a life of swimming in fountains, drinking champagne until dawn, and becoming one of the most coveted party guests during the Fitzgerald’s residency in New York City. But as we all know, you can’t live on top forever, and soon F. Scott and Zelda found that their large-living lifestyle on the Riviera took its toll – Fitzgerald turned to alcohol, and Zelda…well…she sort of lost it, later to discover her mental status had never exactly been healthy. Their return to America was littered with tragic circumstances, and F. Scott struggled to find his literary voice with the end of the Roaring Twenties and the start of the Great Depression. Phew. This week starts out like a shooting star and fades to black fast, so I hope you all are ready for it.