-
F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. -
F. Scott Fitzgerald attended Princeton university, where he wrote for the college’s literary magazine and began to develop his writings skills.
-
Fitzgerald enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 during World War I but never saw combat.
-
Fitzgerald met Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante, in 1918. Their relationship would become one of the most famous in literary history. -
Fitzgerald became a central figure in the Jazz Age and was associated with the “Lost Generation” of American writers.
-
Fitzgerald’s struggles with alcoholism began to worsen during the 1920s, affecting both his personal life and professional output.
-
Fitzgerald’s debut novel, This Side of Paradise, was published in 1920. It was a huge success and locked in his literary reputation, making him a celebrity. -
Fitzgerald married Zelda Sayre on April 3, 1920, in a high-profile wedding in New York.
-
Fitzgerald and Zelda had their only child, Frances Scott Fitzgerald (nicknamed Scottie), born on October 26, 1921. -
Fitzgerald’s second novel, The Beautiful and the Damned, was published in 1922. -
Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby on April 10, 1925. Although it was not immediately successful, it later became regarded as one of the greatest American novels. -
Zelda was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the early 1930s, and her mental health deteriorated, leading to multiple stays in psychiatric hospitals.
-
Fitzgerald published Tender Is the Night on April 12, 1934. The novel was semi-autobiographical and focused on the complexities of marriage and mental illness. -
In 1937, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood to work as a screenwriter, which was a financially strained period for him, as his work was not particularly successful in the film industry.
-
F. Scott Fitzgerald died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940, at the age of 44 in Hollywood, California.