By Robert L. Gale

F. Scott Fitzgerald is without doubt one of the so much hard authors of yank literature. he's identified the world over because the writer of The nice Gatsby (1925), a twentieth-century literary vintage studied via highschool scholars and students alike. yet Fitzgerald used to be an amazingly effective author regardless of various own problems. From the start of his literary occupation with the book of This facet of Paradise in 1920 to his loss of life in 1940, he wrote five novels, approximately a hundred and eighty brief tales, a number of essays and studies, a lot poetry, a number of performs, and a few movie scripts. even if he wrote swiftly and maybe bleary-eyed, his works regularly show the flashes of his genius. he's celebrated as an emblem of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties, yet underneath all of the glitter for which his prose is known, he warns of the risks of private recklessness and praises the redemptive energy of love.

Through thousands of alphabetically prepared entries, this reference publication presents whole assurance of Fitzgerald's lifestyles and writings. the quantity starts off with a chronology that strains his upward thrust from obscurity to reputation, his struggles with alcoholism, and his eventual monetary downfall. The entries that keep on with provide a whole and designated photo of Fitzgerald and his paintings. They current the fundamental motion in Fitzgerald's novels, brief tales, performs, and poems; establish all named fictional characters and point out their importance; and provides short biographical info for Fitzgerald's kinfolk, acquaintances, affiliates. the various entries contain bibliographies which emphasize feedback released after 1990, and the amount closes with a common bibliography of an important wide experiences of Fitzgerald and his works. an intensive index and huge go references supply extra entry to the wealth of data during this reference publication and assist in making it a great tool for quite a lot of users.