Today, F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for his novels, but in his lifetime, his fame stemmed from his prolific achievement as one of America's most gifted (and best-paid) writers of stories and novellas. In The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Matthew J. Bruccoli, the country's premier Fitzgerald scholar and biographer, assembles a sparkling collection that encompasses the full scope of Fitzgerald's short fiction. The forty-three masterpieces range from early stories that capture the fashion of the times to later ones written after the author's fabled crack-up, which are sober reflections on his own youthful excesses. Included are classic novellas, such as "The Rich Boy," "May Day," and "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," as well as a remarkable body of work he wrote for the Saturday Evening Post and its sister "slicks." These stories can be read as an autobiographical journal of a great writer's career, an experience deepened by the illuminating introductory headnotes that Matthew Bruccoli has written for each story, placing it in its literary and biographical context.
Together, these forty-three stories compose a vivid picture of a lost era, but their brilliance is timeless. As Malcolm Cowley once wrote, "Fitzgerald remains an exemplar and archetype, but not of the 1920s alone; in the end he represents the human spirit in one of its permanent forms." This essential collection is ample testament to that statement, and a monument to the genius of one of the great voices in the history of American literature.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
F Scott Fitzawesome:
F Scott Fitzgerald is the greatest American author of the 20th Century. It's easy to see why with this collection of short stories. What I enjoy best about this book is seeing the experimentation of Fitzgerald's writing from one story to the next. It's fun to see the literary and thematic chances that he took as his career progressed. You should buy this book.
Deadline Looming....:
It was, after all, the Great Cham, Samuel Johnson, who said that "Nobody but a blockhead ever wrote for anything but money"-I don't believe this is true. I don't even believe Johnson that "harmless drudge" as he describes himself in the dictionary he spent several unrewarded years compiling believed it either. But it does, anent Fitzgerald and his stories, as comprised in this book, come to mind. Simply put, Fitzgerald was a much better short story writer than a novelist. Indeed, one can argue that... more info
Beautiful writing:
The use of language doesn't get much better than this. Each sentence is a work of art and a pleasure to read. I smile as I read. The stories themselves are so clearly placed in a post-WWI setting that they are a glimpse into life in the 1920's - as, I believe, Fitgerald wanted to show. Also, to me, any Fitgerald work edited or or explained by Matthew Bruccoli is informative & interesting. The above, though, is to those who like Fitzgerald. To me, his is special beyond many other authors' writing.... more info
Fitzgerald's Stories--Short and Sweet:
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote tons of stories during his lifetime--something around 134, total. This book, however, contains the most elite chunk of those writings. To start, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" is one of Fitzgerald's most-read stories. I have read it myself, but have found better ones. "The Ice Palace", for instance, has a remarkable ability to make its readers walk away saying "I relate to this!". "May Day", my personal favorite, is about people on top sinking to the bottom, and people on the bottom... more info
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