Although Scott is known for his novels, his literary talents ran much deeper. Over the course of his career, Fitzgerald wrote four complete novels, while a fifth, partially completed at the time of his death, was published posthumously. This Side of Paradise (1920) marked the beginning of Fitzgerald’s career as a novelist and was built largely around experiences and observations made while at Princeton. While also writing short stories, Fitzgerald completed The Beautiful and the Damned (1922), a book first serialized in Metropolitan Magazine. The Great Gatsby (1925), the novel for which Fitzgerald has become most well known, met only limited success upon its publication. In the years since, it has gone on to become nearly synonymous with Fitzgerald and life in the Roaring 20s. Fitzgerald worked on his fourth novel, Tender is the Night (1934), sporadically for almost ten years after publication of The Great Gatsby. Despite favorable reviews, the novel sold even more poorly than The Great Gatsby. At the time of his death in 1940, Fitzgerald was working on The Last Tycoon (1941), a novel based upon his experiences in Hollywood. About half the novel was completed at the time of his death and, according to some literary critics, The Last Tycoon quite likely could have been his greatest critical success, had it been completed.
Aside from his novels, Fitzgerald amassed a considerable collection of short stories, composing over 150. The Fitzgeralds’ lifestyle was expensive and frequently, short stories brought in much needed money. Beginning in 1919, Fitzgerald’s works were frequently published in national publications such as The Smart Set, The Saturday Evening Post, Metropolitan Magazine, The American Mercury, Liberty, Scribner’s Magazine, and Esquire. He would also publish three collections of short stories during his lifetime: Flappers and Philosophers (1920), Tales of the Jazz Age (1922), All the Sad Young Men (1926).
