F. Scott Fitzgerald Biography Summary

Birth and Early Life
- Born in 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Lived in upstate New York during early childhood.
- Parents: father from an aristocratic Maryland family, mother from wealthy Irish immigrant background.
- Family returned to Minnesota in 1908, where Fitzgerald published his first stories.
Education
- Transferred to Newman School in New Jersey in 1911.
- Entered Princeton University in 1913, wrote for publications, but left without graduating in 1917 due to distractions.
Literary Fame
- Created a symbol of the Roaring Twenties but faced challenges during the Great Depression.
- Experienced personal struggles involving his wife Zelda's mental health post-1932.
- "Tender is the Night" (1934) poorly received at publication, later recognized as a significant work.
Career Highlights
- Joined the army as a second lieutenant during WWI, met Zelda Sayre while stationed in Alabama.
- Achieved literary success with "This Side of Paradise" (1920), followed by marriage to Zelda and party-centric lifestyle.
- Published "The Great Gatsby" (1925), which had poor sales initially despite good reviews.
- Became a Hollywood screenwriter in 1937, managed an affair with columnist Sheilah Graham while caring for Zelda.
Decline and Death
- Struggled with alcoholism and declining health; died of a heart attack in 1940.
- Left a half-finished novel, "The Last Tycoon," published posthumously in 1941.