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Biography and Career Timeline

1896

September 24, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is born in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1896
1911

Attends a Catholic prep school in New Jersey, where he meets Father Sigourney Fay, who encourages his dreams of success.

1911
1913

Enters Princeton university.

1913
1916

Neglects studies to write scripts and lyrics for the college musicals and magazines.

1916
1917

On academic probation and unlikely to graduate, joins the army. Makes first attempt at a novel, The Romantic Egotist.

1917
1918

While at Camp Sheridan near Montgomery, Alabama, falls in love with celebrated belle Zelda Sayre.

1918
1919

Goes to New York to seek his fortune and win Zelda's hand in marriage—but she is unwilling to live on his small salary and breaks engagement.

1919
1920

Fame comes almost overnight with the publication of THIS SIDE OF PARADISE. A week later, he marries Zelda in New York.

1920
1921

Writes second novel, The Beautiful and Damned. Settles in St. Paul in time for the birth of his only child, Frances Scott (Scottie).

1921
1922

Started drinking heavily, triggering frequent domestic rows.

1922
1923

His political satire, FROM PRESIDENT TO POSTMAN, fails. He writes his way out of debt with short stories.

1923
1924

Goes to France, where he writes THE GREAT GATSBY.

1924
1925

THE GREAT GATSBY is published. Though critics rave and a sale of stage and screen rights follows, initial book sales are disappointing.

1925
1926

Makes little progress on his fourth novel. Zelda's behavior became increasingly eccentric.

1926
1927

Continues struggling with his fourth novel while Zelda turns to ballet, hoping to become a professional dancer.

1927
1929

The Fitzgeralds returned to France, where Zelda's intense devotion to dance damages her health—and marriage.

1929
1930

Zelda suffered her first breakdown in April. She is treated at a clinic in Switzerland until September, while Fitzgerald lives in Swiss hotels.

1930
1932

Back in the States, Zelda suffers a relapse and enters Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

1932
1932

While a patient at Johns Hopkins, Zelda writes the autobiographical novel, SAVE ME THE WALTZ.

1932
1936

Fitzgerald writes THE CRACK-UP. Ill, drunk, in debt, and unable to write commercially, he lives in hotels near the institutionalized Zelda.

1936
1937

Goes to Hollywood and earns $1,000 a week working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

1937
1938

After MGM drops his option at the end of 1938, Fitzgerald works as a freelance scriptwriter and writes short stories for Esquire.

1938
1940

Having written much of a draft of a novel called THE LOVE OF THE LAST TYCOON, Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack on December 21, 1940.

1940
1948

Zelda Fitzgerald perished in a fire in Highland Hospital.

1948
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