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Birth
F. Scott Fitzgerald is born in St. Paul, Minnesota to his parents Mary and Edward. -
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Princeton
Fitzgerald attends Princeton University for several years and writes for The Princeton Tiger. He is put on academic probation in 1917 and leaves to join the army. -
Zelda
Fitzgerald worked on his novels while in the army. While on duty in Montgomery, Alabama, Fitzgerald meets Zelda Sayre and falls in love with her. -
Leaving the Army
Fitzgerald is discharged from the army after the war and moves to New York to work at an advertising agency. Zelda then breaks up with him due to him not making enough money and he goes back to St. Paul to finish wiring his novel “This Side of Paradise”. -
“This Side of Paradise” and Marriage
“This Side of Paradise” is published and is an immediate success. With his new riches, he gets back together with Zelda and they get married a week later. -
Francis is Born
The Fitzgeralds move to St. Paul together and Zelda gives birth to their daughter Zelda. F. Scott continues writing novels and short stories. -
“The Beautiful and Damned”
Fitzgerald’s second novel, “The Beautiful and Damned” is published. The family moves to Long Island for Fitzgerald to write a broadway play, which ends up being a flop. He continues writing short stories to get out of the debt it caused. -
“The Great Gatsby”
Fitzgerald publishes “The Great Gatsby” which gets great reviews but does not sell well. -
Delaware
The Fitzgeralds rent a house in Delaware while F. Scott continues writing. Zelda decided to become a professional ballet dancer and began her training. -
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Zelda’s Breakdown(s)
While enduring rigorous training to be a ballet dancer, Zelda suffers a mental breakdown. She is hospitalized for over a year while F. Scott writes short stories to pay for her treatment. Shortly after being released, she has another breakdown and spends most of her life in and out of psychiatric hospitals. -
“Tender is the Night”
“Tender is the Night” is published. It’s inspired by his complex relationship with Zelda and was not a very successful release. -
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The “Crack-Up” Years
Fitzgerald became an alcoholic and was unable to write stories for a long period of time. With Zelda still seeking psychiatric help, he sent Francis to boarding school. -
Hollywood
Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood to become a scriptwriter. He works for MGM before becoming a freelance screenwriter. -
Death
Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack. He had written half of his final novel “The Love of the Last Tycoon” before dying. It was published after his death. -
The Revival of Gatsby
Although it was not a huge success at the time of release, literary critics began talking about how wonderful “The Great Gatsby” was. This lead it to be considered the classic it is today.
