Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald-A Biography

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born September 24, 1896, in St. Paul Minnesota, to Edward and Mary McQuillan Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald's mother was descended from Irish immigrants who had come to the United States during the years of famine in Ireland. His father came from Maryland and could trace his family back to the colonial period and to such famous ancestors as Francis Scott Key, who F. Scott was named after. Fitzgerald had one sister, Annabel, who was born in 1901.

After moving around and living in Buffalo and Syracuse, New York, Fitzgerald's family settled in St. Paul, Minnesota. As a teenager, he was sent to the Newman School in New Jersey, a small Catholic preparatory school. There, he pursued his writing.

Princeton was next on Fitzgerald's list. While attending Princeton, Fitzgerald wrote stories, poems, plays, and song lyrics. He was also involved with several dramatic productions produced by the Princeton Triangle Club. Fitzgerald's accomplishments, however, were in no way any reflection of his grades. A combination of poor study habits and illness required Fitzgerald to take a leave of absence from Princeton.

When the United States entered World War I, Fitzgerald enlisted and received a commission as an infantry lieutenant. While stationed in Montgomery, he met and fell in love with the woman that would become his wife, Zelda Sayre. In 1920, Fitzgerald and Zelda were married in New York. Their daughter Scottie was born in 1921.

Throughout his short life, Fitzgerald wrote many novels and short stories. This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and Tender Is the Night are just a few examples of his many great works.

Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in 1940, while working on his fifth novel, The Last Tycoon. In the 1960s Fitzgerald's work received new attention, and his literary reputation as a major American writer became assured.