Choices for 'the wise writer'

 

“My idea is always to reach my generation. The wise writer writes for the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmasters of ever afterward.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Born in Minnesota on Sept. 24, 1896 Fitzgerald is heralded as one of the greatest American writers with a remarkable output despite dying at age 44 from illnesses mostly attributed to stress and alcoholism.   Internationally renowned for books like The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night, Fitzgerald also wrote hundreds of short stories reflective of what’s been called “The Jazz Age.”

 

Named for his distant cousin Francis Scott Key (author of “The Star Spangled Banner”), Fitzgerald attended Princeton but dropped out to join the U.S. Army during World War I.  It was at Princeton that he both started his writing and met future wife Zelda, a major influence on his writing career, which took off right after the war.

 

While his writing star burned brightly, he said he found the process difficult. “All good writing,” he said, “is like swimming under water and holding your breath.”   He said sometimes he wished he could start over, leading to his famous statement: “There are no second acts in American lives.”