Francis “Scott” Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul Minnesota in September of 1896. In a few weeks I will be older than he was when he died. I also share the same birth week as he did. I wonder if he celebrated his birthdays. Although he seemed like the type to celebrate all occasions both large and small.
Photo property of Fitzgerald estate.
During his short life he managed to write a handful of novels, one of which is considered THE great American novel. Although it was considered a failure upon its initial release.
He was a tortured soul to say the least. Never having done well in school, despite attending and subsequently dropping out of Princeton University, some 85 years after his death, he remains an enigma. We can never fully understand his genius nor his inner torment.
Photo property of Princeton University 1917
Fitzgerald’s exploits have been well documented, but it is not as well-known that he was named after Francis Scott Key, who was a distant cousin.
Fitzgerald is also credited with the first use of the word “t-shirt”, used in the novel “This Side of Paradise”.
Navigator Archive will continue to cover the life of Fitzgerald in future Field Guide posts.