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F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in 1896 in St Paul, Minnesota, and went to Princeton University which he left in 1917 to join the army. Fitzgerald was said to have epitomised the Jazz Age, an age inhabited by a generation he defined as ‘grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken’.
In 1920 he married Zelda Sayre. Their destructive relationship and her subsequent mental breakdowns became a major influence on his writing. Among his publications were five novels, This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night and The Love of the Last Tycoon (his last and unfinished work): six volumes of short stories and The Crack-Up, a selection of autobiographical pieces.
Fitzgerald died suddenly in 1940. After his death The New York Times said of him that ‘He was better than he knew, for in fact and in the literary sense he invented a “generation” … he might have interpreted them and even guided them, as in their middle years they saw a different and nobler freedom threatened with destruction.’
Published to coincide with the 124th anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald's birth Enigmatic, intriguing and fabulously wealthy, Jay Gatsby throws lavish parties at his West Egg mansion to impress Daisy Buchanan, the object of his obsession, now married to bullish Tom Buchanan. Over a Long Island summer, his neighbour Nick Carraway, a writer and a cousin to Daisy, looks on as Gatsby and Daisy’s affair deepens. Tragedy looms in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, frequently named among the best novels of the twentieth century. This new edition includes a foreword by critically acclaimed novelist Michael Farris Smith, as well as an exclusive extract of his forthcoming novel, NICK, which imagines narrator Nick Carraway’s life before The Great Gatsby.
The Last Tycoon is a sophisticated, gripping tale of love and intrigue in the Golden Age of Hollywood, containing what many critics have claimed are Fitzgerald's most modern and engaging characters. Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival. A 'Piece of Passion' from Alessandro Gallenzi on the Alma Classics editions...'F. Scott Fitzgerald has been long a favourite of mine. Since I discovered The Great Gatsby at university, I have been avidly reading all of his work. I am particularly fond of some of his short stories, from ‘The Rich Boy’ (in All the Sad Young Men) to ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (in Tales of the Jazz Age). I have poured all my passion and love for Fitzgerald’s work into these stylish editions, with front-cover illustrations by Art-Deco genius Georges Barbier, flaps, pictures and a wealth of extra material. These books are a publisher’s and a fan’s tribute to one of the greatest masters of world literature.' A survey recently named The Great Gatsby as one of the greatest fictional playboys of all time … click to find out more
Jay Gatsby's parties are legendary. Night and day, the rich and beautiful descend upon his mansion to drink and to dance. For Nick Carraway, newly arrived on Long Island, the handsome, wealthy Gatsby seems to lead the perfect life. But beneath that shimmering facade Gatsby harbours an obsessive desire for the only thing he truly wants, but can never have.
Published a year after The Great Gatsby, this short-story collection showcases many of the celebrated novel's themes, as well as its unique writing style. Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival. A 'Piece of Passion' from Alessandro Gallenzi on the Alma Classics editions...'F. Scott Fitzgerald has been long a favourite of mine. Since I discovered The Great Gatsby at university, I have been avidly reading all of his work. I am particularly fond of some of his short stories, from ‘The Rich Boy’ (in All the Sad Young Men) to ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (in Tales of the Jazz Age). I have poured all my passion and love for Fitzgerald’s work into these stylish editions, with front-cover illustrations by Art-Deco genius Georges Barbier, flaps, pictures and a wealth of extra material. These books are a publisher’s and a fan’s tribute to one of the greatest masters of world literature.'
A collection of early short stories which helped make F. Scott Fitzgerald's name. Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival. A 'Piece of Passion' from Alessandro Gallenzi on the Alma Classics editions...'F. Scott Fitzgerald has been long a favourite of mine. Since I discovered The Great Gatsby at university, I have been avidly reading all of his work. I am particularly fond of some of his short stories, from ‘The Rich Boy’ (in All the Sad Young Men) to ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (in Tales of the Jazz Age). I have poured all my passion and love for Fitzgerald’s work into these stylish editions, with front-cover illustrations by Art-Deco genius Georges Barbier, flaps, pictures and a wealth of extra material. These books are a publisher’s and a fan’s tribute to one of the greatest masters of world literature.'
A critical account of its own era, introducing many themes which would be developed in later works, Fitzgerald's first novel was an instant critical and commercial success, propelling him into the limelight as a literary celebrity. Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival. A 'Piece of Passion' from Alessandro Gallenzi on the Alma Classics editions...'F. Scott Fitzgerald has been long a favourite of mine. Since I discovered The Great Gatsby at university, I have been avidly reading all of his work. I am particularly fond of some of his short stories, from ‘The Rich Boy’ (in All the Sad Young Men) to ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (in Tales of the Jazz Age). I have poured all my passion and love for Fitzgerald’s work into these stylish editions, with front-cover illustrations by Art-Deco genius Georges Barbier, flaps, pictures and a wealth of extra material. These books are a publisher’s and a fan’s tribute to one of the greatest masters of world literature.'
Peopled by an unforgettable cast of aristocrats and high-fliers, Tender is the Night is at once a scathing critique of the materialism and hypocrisy of the Roaring Twenties and a poignant and sensitive account of personal tragedy and disillusionment. Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival. A 'Piece of Passion' from Alessandro Gallenzi on the Alma Classics editions...'F. Scott Fitzgerald has been long a favourite of mine. Since I discovered The Great Gatsby at university, I have been avidly reading all of his work. I am particularly fond of some of his short stories, from ‘The Rich Boy’ (in All the Sad Young Men) to ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (in Tales of the Jazz Age). I have poured all my passion and love for Fitzgerald’s work into these stylish editions, with front-cover illustrations by Art-Deco genius Georges Barbier, flaps, pictures and a wealth of extra material. These books are a publisher’s and a fan’s tribute to one of the greatest masters of world literature.'
Containing obvious parallels with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's own lives, The Beautiful and Damned is a tragic examination of the pitfalls of greed and materialism and the transience of youth and beauty. Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival. A 'Piece of Passion' from Alessandro Gallenzi on the Alma Classics editions...'F. Scott Fitzgerald has been long a favourite of mine. Since I discovered The Great Gatsby at university, I have been avidly reading all of his work. I am particularly fond of some of his short stories, from ‘The Rich Boy’ (in All the Sad Young Men) to ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (in Tales of the Jazz Age). I have poured all my passion and love for Fitzgerald’s work into these stylish editions, with front-cover illustrations by Art-Deco genius Georges Barbier, flaps, pictures and a wealth of extra material. These books are a publisher’s and a fan’s tribute to one of the greatest masters of world literature.'
January 2014 Guest Editor Jodi Picoult on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald, for its unreliable narrator. I love this book because it's the gold standard for unreliable narrators. Nick Carraway tells us the story of Jay Gatsby and Daisy; he tells us he isn't going to pass judgment on the characters, but he manages to overlook things, like Gatsby's bootlegging trade and Daisy's husband’s infidelity. The result is that the character of Gatsby remains a mystery long after you've finished the book. The Lovereading view... Regarded as Fitzgerald's masterpiece and one of the greatest novels of American literature, The Great Gatsby is a vivid chronicle of the excesses and decadence of the Jazz Age, as well as a timeless cautionary critique of the American dream. Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival. A 'Piece of Passion' from Alessandro Gallenzi on the Alma Classics editions...'F. Scott Fitzgerald has been long a favourite of mine. Since I discovered The Great Gatsby at university, I have been avidly reading all of his work. I am particularly fond of some of his short stories, from ‘The Rich Boy’ (in All the Sad Young Men) to ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (in Tales of the Jazz Age). I have poured all my passion and love for Fitzgerald’s work into these stylish editions, with front-cover illustrations by Art-Deco genius Georges Barbier, flaps, pictures and a wealth of extra material. These books are a publisher’s and a fan’s tribute to one of the greatest masters of world literature.' A survey recently named The Great Gatsby as one of the greatest fictional playboys of all time … click to find out more
October 2011 Guest Editor Philippa Gregory on F. Scott Fitzgerald... I have just re-read this and constantly admired the economy of Fitzgerald. He can write poignant paragraphs that come out of almost nothing, as a reader you can hardly tell what he is doing, but you emerge from the novel feeling emotionally wrung. It’s the story of the most glamorous couple on the French Riviera, and slowly you understand that much of their beauty is a façade, and that even their passion is something that will pass. It is loosely based on Fitzgerald’s own marriage to Zelda who is an interesting character in her own right and too often “written off” by biographers as the unstable wife to a genius. As this novel hints, perhaps it was far more complicated and interesting than that.
August 2011 Guest Editor Deborah Lawrenson on F Scott Fitzgerald... F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is so full of exquisite prose it’s like being glutted on champagne and diamonds and fluttering silk. And it’s the contrast between the glittering words, and the lost illusions and tawdry underside of the American Dream in the 1920s that makes this such a poignant read. That and the best closing lines of any novel, ever. Visit our '50 Classics Everyone Should Read' collection to discover more classic titles. One of Giles Coren's favourite books. A classic that captures the mood of the 1920's, the time after the great War when life was for living. Gatsby in pursuing the 'American Dream' finds, with devastating consequences, that money may not be the route to happiness. November 2009 Guest Editor Katie Agnew on F. SCOTT FITZGERALD Whenever I'm asked what my favourite book of all time is I never hesitate - 'The Great Gatsby'. For me there's no contest. I first read this novel at school and I've re-read it every couple of years since. I'm obsessed with it - Fitzgerald's flawless writing style, his painfully flawed characters, the deliciously decadent Jazz Age setting and, ah, that tragic ending. The story breaks my heart every time but like a moth to the flame, I can't help myself. I love it! I want to be in it! In fact, whenever I need a pseudonym, I use the name Jordan Buchanan, a character from 'The Great Gatsby'. A survey recently named The Great Gatsby as one of the greatest fictional playboys of all time … click to find out more
This Norton Critical Edition includes: The 1925 first American edition text of the novel. A full introduction, a note on the text, and explanatory annotations by David J. Alworth. An unusually rich selection of contextual materials, including Fitzgerald's sources for his greatest novel, excerpts from his ledger and notebooks, three of his related short stories, twenty-two carefully chosen letters concerning The Great Gatsby, and eight selections-four of them by Fitzgerald-on the Jazz Age and American Modernism. A wide range of critical assessments, covering initial reviews and reactions, Fitzgerald's revival, and reconsiderations and recent readings. A chronology and selected bibliography. About the Series Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format-annotated text, contexts, and criticism-helps students to better understand, analyze, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.
This deluxe box-set brings together selected novels, novellas and short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contained in five clothbound volumes with gold-foil stamping. Fitzgerald is considered one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century, celebrated for his penetrating and moving depictions of the American Jazz Age. This beautiful slipcased collection contains his most iconic works such as The Great Gatsby and The Beautiful and Damned alongside lesser-known gems including 'The Offshore Pirate' and 'Ice Palace'. Includes: * The Great Gatsby * This Side of Paradise * The Beautiful and Damned * Flappers and Philosophers * The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age Showcasing the variety and depth of Fitzgerald's genius, this luxurious art-deco inspired box set makes a wonderful collectible of gift for any literature lover. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Collector's Classics series are high-quality, clothbound box-sets of classic works of literature. With elegant embossed cover-designs and coloured endpapers, these editions make wonderful gifts or collectibles to treasure forever.
The magnificent attitude of not giving a damn ... and to seek the moment's happiness as fervently and persistently as possible. It's New York during the Jazz Age. Anthony and Gloria Patch are a rich and beautiful couple who drink and dance away their days in glorious decadence as they wait for an inheritance to materialize. Gloria has always relied on her beauty to get her everything she wants (including a wealthy husband), while Anthony is Harvard-educated with a yen for the finer things of life. Blinded by the notion of future wealth, they push the boat out further and further until they find themselves far from shore and baling fast. This is a brilliant study of a marriage that begins to reel under the effects of too much booze as the doomed couple fall into indolence and out of love. First published in 1922, The Beautiful and Damned drew heavily on F. Scott Fitzgerald's own life and helped established his reputation as one of the great American novelists.
This deluxe clothbound hardback presents F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel, This Side of Paradise. It follows the story of protagonist Amory Blaine as he attends Princeton University and later serves in the army in World War 1, whilst exploring the themes of love corrupted by greed and status seeking. As a result of the success of this novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald successfully won over and consequently married his ex-lover Zelda Sayre. Featuring gold-foil embossing and an elegant art-deco inspired cover design, this collectible edition makes a wonderful gift for any lover of classic literature.
Benjamin Button is born as an old man, but as time passes, he gradually grows younger. As he grows up, he encounters prejudice, shock and delight as he seeks to live an ordinary live. Touching and profound, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a uniquely moving meditation on the experience of growing up. This beautiful clothbound collection also includes several of F. Scott Fitzgerald's stories set in the Roaring Twenties, which he termed the 'Jazz Age', such as 'The Jelly Bean', 'May Day' and 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz'. Ranging from the farcical to the insightful, Fitzgerald presents an enlightening portrait of 1920s America in these stories while always remembering that the first duty of a writer is to entertain.
This deluxe clothbound edition presents one of the most celebrated American novels of all time, The Great Gatsby, featuring gold-foil embossing and an art-deco inspired cover design. Jay Gatsby is a mystery to Nick. On the surface he is a man of wealth and excess - throwing wild, extravagant parties that run deep into the night. But cracks begin to show in this facade as we meet Daisy Buchanan, the lady across the lake who is the object of his quiet obsession. A paragon of the Great American Novel, The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story which perfectly captures the hollow decadence of the Jazz Age. This beautiful hardback edition makes a wonderful collectable or gift for any lovers of classic literature.
This deluxe clothbound hardback presents one of the most celebrated American novels of all time - The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is a mystery to Nick. On the surface he is a man of wealth and excess - throwing wild, extravagant parties that run deep into the night. But cracks begin to show in this facade as we meet Daisy Buchanan, the lady across the lake who is the object of his quiet obsession. A paragon of the Great American Novel, The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story which perfectly captures the hollow decadence of the Jazz Age. This edition is decorated with foil-stamping and features a new introduction by writer and literary historian Brian Busby.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel-written at a pivotal moment in his career-is now available in a beautifully designed special collector's edition. The Beautiful and Damned is a stunning satire of the glamorous but doomed marriage between Anthony Patch and his wife, Gloria. Harvard-educated Patch is waiting for his inheritance upon his grandfather's death. His marriage to Gloria is fueled by alcohol and destroyed by greed. This shallow, pleasure-seeking couple race through a series of fiascoes-first in hilarity, then in despair. A devastating portrait of the nouveaux rich, New York nightlife, reckless ambition, and squandered talent, The Beautiful and Damned was published in 1922 on the heels of Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise. This keenly observed novel signaled Fitzgerald's maturity as a storyteller and confirmed his enormous talent as a novelist.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's romantic and witty first novel-written when he was only twenty-three years old and catapulted Fitzgerald to instant fame-is now available in a beautifully designed special collector's edition. This Side of Paradise is F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel. The book's critical success was driven in part by the enthusiasm of reviewers, and it catapulted Fitzgerald to instant fame. H. L. Mencken wrote that is was the best American novel that I have seen of late. An examination of the lives and morality of post-World War I youth, this semiautobiographical story of the handsome, indulged, and idealistic Princeton student Amory Blaine brilliantly captures the rhythms and romance of Fitzgerald's university days and offers a poignant portrait of the Lost Generation.
Jay Gatsby is a mystery to Nick. On the surface he is a man of wealth and excess - throwing wild, extravagant parties that run deep into the night. But cracks begin to show in this facade as we meet Daisy Buchanan, the lady across the lake who is the object of his quiet obsession. A paragon of the Great American Novel, The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story which captures the hollow decadence of the Jazz Age. As events unfold, both Gatsby and narrator Nick are forced to confront the rot beneath the shiny surface of high society and the unreality of the American dream. This beautiful jacketed hardback edition is the perfect collectable or gift for any literature lover.
A gorgeously illustrated, first-ever graphic novel adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's beloved American classic. First published in 1925, The Great Gatsby has been acclaimed by generations of readers and is now reimagined in stunning graphic novel form. Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and the rest of the cast are captured in vivid and evocative illustrations by artist Aya Morton. The iconic text has been artfully distilled by Fred Fordham, who also adapted the graphic novel edition of To Kill a Mockingbird. Blake Hazard, F. Scott Fitzgerald's great-granddaughter, contributes a personal introduction. This quintessential Jazz Age tale stands as the supreme achievement of Fitzgerald's career and is a true classic of 20th-century literature. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy is exquisitely captured in this enchanting and unique edition.
'Lie to me by the moonlight. Do a fabulous story.' F. Scott Fitzgerald's first story collection, Flappers and Philosophers, appeared in 1920 on the heels of his debut novel, This Side of Paradise, and immediately established him as a master of popular fiction. Love stories such as 'The Offshore Pirate' and 'Head and Shoulders' capture the spectacle and fantasy of the Jazz Age, celebrating that modern icon of feminine self-possession, the flapper, while comedies of manner like 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair' and 'The Ice Palace' showcase Fitzgerald's eye for humour. In addition to these four classic tales, which first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post , this edition highlights the author's proficiency with other crowd-pleasing story types: from Gothic fiction ('The Cut-Glass Bowl') to didactic moral stories ('The Four Fists'), from satire ('Dalyrimple Goes Wrong') to spiritual quests ('Benediction'), Fitzgerald tried his hand at many genres--and succeeded at all.
The wise writer, I think, writes for the youth of his own generation, the critic of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever afterward. Following the education and young life of Amory Blaine, from indulged only child to disillusioned war veteran, This Side of Paradise is a thinly veiled account of Fitzgerald's time as a Princeton undergraduate and an aspiring writer set against the turbulent background of adolescence, first loves, and the outbreak of World War I. Amory moves through a dynamic whirl of exuberant youth, university escapades and adventures home and abroad as one of a new, restless American generation. This Side of Paradise ensured immediate fame as well as notoriety for F. Scott Fitzgerald. Not only Fitzgerald's bestselling novel during his lifetime, it was also the work against which each of his later novels was measured. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of This Side of Paradise: without it, the writing career of one of the twentieth-century's most popular novelists would have been immeasurably different. Brilliant and original in style and structure, brimful of literary experimentalism and fearless originality, it was a spectacular launching for Fitzgerald's career, and instantly stamped him as the bard of the Jazz Age.
The Complete Fitzgerald Fiction Collection includes the following fifteen titles: All the Sad Young Men, 9781847493040 Also containing 'The Baby Party', 'Rags Martin-Jones and the Pr-nce of W-les', 'The Adjuster', 'Hot and Cold Blood', 'The Sensible Thing' and 'Gretchen's Forty Winks' - all of which describe in various ways the 1920s society that Fitzgerald himself inhabited - All the Sad Young Men is a masterpiece of twentieth-century American fiction. The Beautiful and Damned, 9781847492128 The Beautiful and Damned is a tragic examination of the pitfalls of greed and materialism and the transience of youth and beauty. The Great Gatsby, 9781847492586 The Great Gatsby is a vivid chronicle of the excesses and decadence of the Jazz Age, as well as a timeless cautionary critique of the American dream. Tales of the Jazz Age, 9781847493095 A collection of early short stories which helped make Fitzgerald's name. It also contains the now classic story 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz', as well as lesser-known sketches and tales Tender Is the Night, 9781847492593 Tender Is the Night is at once a scathing critique of the materialism and hypocrisy of the Roaring Twenties and a poignant and sensitive account of personal tragedy and disillusionment. This Side of Paradise, The Love Boat and Other Stories, 9781847494146 A poignant tale which touches on the themes of yearning and lost youth that are central to many of Fitzgerald's novels and stories, 'The Love Boat' is here presented with other lesser-known pieces which he wrote in the 1920s and explore the many facets of his creative talents. The Intimate Strangers and Other Stories, 9781847495662 This volume also includes other lesser-known stories he wrote from the mid-1930s until the end of his life, revealing new facets to the author of The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night. Image on the Heart and Other Stories, 9781847495655 Image on the Heart' is here presented with other lesser-known stories written by Fitzgerald in the late 1920s and early 1930s, which develop many of the themes found in his novels and his more famous works of short fiction. The Last of the Belles and Other Stories, 9781847494054 This volume also includes other acclaimed stories - such as 'Jacob's Ladder', 'The Swimmers' and 'The Bridal Party' - written by Fitzgerald between 1927 and 1931, during the prolonged period in which he was struggling to compose Tender Is the Night. Babylon Revisited and Other Stories, 9781847493804 Babylon Revisited' is presented here with a selection of other tales published in the same period, such as 'Crazy Sunday' - an account of alcoholism and infidelity in Hollywood - which showcase the author at his creative best. Basil and Josephine, 9781847493422 Basil and Josephine charts the coming of age of two privileged youths from quiet Midwestern towns, Basil Duke Lee and Josephine Perry - based on Fitzgerald himself and a combination of his first love Ginevra King and his wife Zelda. Flappers and Philosophers, 9781847493460 Also containing 'The Offshore Pirate', 'Head and Shoulders', 'The Cut-Glass Bowl', 'Benediction', 'Dalyrimple Goes Wrong' and 'The Four Fists', this volume of stories illustrates the early stages of Fitzgerald's development as a writer and provides an entertaining chronicle of America in the 1910s. The Last Tycoon, 9781847493187 he Last Tycoon is a sophisticated, gripping tale of love and intrigue in the Golden Age of Hollywood. The Pat Hobby Stories, 9781847493859 A vivid account of Hollywood and its politics and hierarchies, these stories - which draw from Fitzgerald's own travails as a screenwriter - were first printed in Esquire, although they were written with a view to being published as a cohesive volume.
