F. Scott Fitzgerald

  • Born

    Born

    F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in Minnesota
  • Begins Writing in School

    He wrote his first story at around 13 years old
  • Goes to Prep School

    Fitzgerald attended the Newman School in New Jersey, where a teacher encouraged him to become a writer.
  • Goes to Princeton

    Goes to Princeton

    He started college at Princeton, where he wrote plays and stories for school clubs.
  • Joins the Army

    He left Princeton to join the U.S. Army during World War I.
  • Meets Zelda Sayre

    While stationed in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, who would later become his wife.
  • Moves to NYC

    He moved to New York to work in advertising and tried to earn enough money to marry Zelda.
  • Publishes First Book

    His first novel, This Side of Paradise, became a huge success and made him famous.
  • Marries Zelda

    Marries Zelda

    Soon after his book’s success, Fitzgerald married Zelda Sayre on April 3, 1920.
  • Writes Second Book

    He published The Beautiful and Damned and a short story collection called Tales of the Jazz Age.
  • Moves to France

    The Fitzgeralds moved to Europe, living in Paris and the French Riviera.
  • Publishes The Great Gatsby

    Publishes The Great Gatsby

    He released his most famous book, The Great Gatsby, which later became an American classic
  • Zelda Gets Sick

    Zelda had a mental breakdown, and Scott began drinking more as life got harder for them.
  • Publishes Tender is the Night

    He released another novel, but it didn’t sell very well at the time.
  • Moves to Hollywood

    Fitzgerald went to California to write movie scripts and started working on another novel.
  • Dies in Hollywood

    Dies in Hollywood

    He died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940, at the age of 44.