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Birth
Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fitzgerald’s namesake (and second cousin three times removed on his father's side) was Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to the "Star-Spangled Banner." -
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F Scott Fitzgerald
This is the timespan of F Scott Fitzgerald’s life. He was born September 24th 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He died December 21st 1940 in Hollywood, California due to a heart attack. -
First Story
At the age of 13 Fitzgerald saw his first ever written story in his school newspaper. It was a small detective story. -
Beginning of Encouragement
At the age of 15 Fitzgerald was sent to the Newman school which was a prestigious catholic school, there he met Father Sigourney Fay. The priest noticed Fitzgerald’s passion and talent for writing and encouraged him to pursue his passion. -
After Graduating
Fitzgerald graduated in 1913. He stayed in New Jersey to pursue his career and started by attending Princeton University. While there he constantly wrote for magazines and literary clubs. -
First Novel
In 1917 Fitzgerald dropped out of school and joined the army. He was scared he would die in WW1 before he could publish anything. He quickly wrote The Romantic Egotist and submitted it. It was rejected and he was told to come back in the future. Luckily Fitzgerald was never deployed by time World War 1 ended. -
After The War
Upon his discharge, he moved to New York City hoping to launch a career in advertising lucrative enough to convince his girlfriend, Zelda, to marry him. He quit his job after only a few months, however, and returned to St. Paul to rewrite his novel. -
First Published Novel
Fitzgerald’s first published novel was called, ‘The Side of Paradise’. The novel was published in 1920 to glowing reviews. Almost overnight, it turned Fitzgerald, at the age of 24, into one of the country's most promising young writers. He eagerly embraced his newly minted celebrity status and embarked on an extravagant lifestyle that earned him a reputation as a playboy and hindered his reputation as a serious literary writer. -
Short Stories
Beginning in 1920 and continuing throughout the rest of his career, Fitzgerald supported himself financially by writing great numbers of short stories for popular publications such as The Saturday Evening Post and Esquire. Some of his most notable stories include "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Camel's Back" and "The Last of the Belles." -
Second Novel
In 1922, Fitzgerald published his second novel, The Beautiful and Damned, the story of the troubled marriage of Anthony and Gloria Patch. -
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is considered Fitzgerald's finest work, with its beautiful lyricism, pitch-perfect portrayal of the Jazz Age, and searching critiques of materialism, love and the American Dream. -
Trouble in Life
After completing his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald's life began to unravel. Always a heavy drinker, he progressed steadily into alcoholism and suffered prolonged bouts of writer's block. After two years lost to alcohol and depression, in 1937 Fitzgerald attempted to revive his career as a screenwriter and freelance storywriter in Hollywood, and he achieved modest financial, if not critical, success for his efforts before his death in 1940. -
Fourth Novel
In 1934, after years of toil, Fitzgerald finally published his fourth novel, Tender is the Night, about an American psychiatrist in Paris, France, and his troubled marriage to a wealthy patient. -
Last Novel
Fitzgerald began work on his last novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon, in 1939. He had completed over half the manuscript when he died in 1940. -
Death
Fitzgerald died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940, at the age of 44, in Hollywood, California. Fitzgerald died believing himself a failure, since none of his works received more than modest commercial or critical success during his lifetime.