St. Paul celebrates F. Scott Fitzgerald, a century of 'The Great Gatsby'

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Whether it's the statue on the edge of Rice Park or the mural on the side of the theater that bears his name, F. Scott Fitzgerald looms large over the capitol city.

In fact, some of the most important chapters of the life of this literary giant were written in St. Paul.

A writer's roots

What we know:

Fitzgerald was born on the second floor of an apartment building at 481 Laurel Avenue in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood in 1896. He was named after his distant cousin, Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner.

Fitzgerald only lived there for a couple of years before his family moved to Buffalo, New York, but when they returned a decade later, he and his sister stayed with their grandmother in the Laurel Terrace Apartments down the street, where he became friends with the children of the wealthy families who lived in the mansions along Summit Avenue a few blocks away.

"The neighborhood influenced him to write about wealth. He understood that wealth did not make the person. There had to be more than that," said Dave Page, who has written several books about Fitzgerald.

As a teenager, Fitzgerald went to school at St Paul Academy, where he was encouraged to put his ideas down on paper.

Some of his first published works were short stories he wrote for the student literary magazine, which showed glimpses of his future calling.

"He was a writer all along, but when he got to St. Paul, he started writing plays for this local theater group that included the children of the wealthy, his friends. So they performed, and of course, it got publicity for him as the author and he thought I can do this," said Page.

The voice of his generation

The backstory:

Years later, Fitzgerald would return to his parents' house at 599 Summit Avenue, after attending boarding school, dropping out of Princeton and enlisting in the military during World War I to revise his first novel, "This Side Of Paradise," in part to get his girlfriend Zelda back after she turned down his marriage proposal because she didn't think he could support her lifestyle.

"He went upstairs at 599 Summit into the attic. His parents brought food to him. They basically paid his bills for a while he was living there and rewriting his first novel that he'd written while he was in the army in World War One. And it got picked up by Scribner's and Zelda married him," said Page.

Once they were married, the couple became instant celebrities, examples of the wild and carefree lifestyle of the Roaring 20s.

They lived in Minnesota briefly, and Zelda gave birth to their first and only daughter, Frances, here.

They would also hang out at the University Club where Fitzgerald once wrote a parody newspaper for a party called "The Bad Luck Ball," which he used to poke fun at his rich friends.

"It shows how witty and clever he was and what a great writer he was, but also showed that he liked to be the center of attention," said Kate Hujda, curator of manuscripts for the Minnesota Historical Society.

Great American novel

What they're saying:

Fitzgerald's biggest achievement, "The Great Gatsby," was published a few years later in 1925, but unlike his first novel, it wasn't an immediate success. It took an armed services edition published nearly 20 years later during World War Two to reintroduce the book to a new generation of readers. 

"It really kind of helped people rediscover it, get more familiar with it, and have it become the novel that we think of today," said Hujda.

Unfortunately, Fitzgerald never lived to see The Great Gatsby become considered one of the greatest American novels. He died from a heart attack while working as a screenwriter in Hollywood in 1940 at the age of 44.

"Fitzgerald, he died young. I think for many years his life was talked about as only a tragedy. Now I think there has been more interest in looking at Fitzgerald beyond the tragedies of his life and looking more at the many successes," said Hujda.

Preserving Fitzgerald's legacy

Local perspective:

To celebrate Gatsby's 100th birthday, the Minnesota Historical Society has a new exhibit titled, "That's My Middle West: F. Scott Fitzgerald's St. Paul" opening on March 20.

The display will feature photos, letters and books from Fitzgerald's life and times, including a text book he used when he was a teen, a first edition of Gatsby and a copy of This Side Of Paradise signed by Fitzgerald and dedicated to the historical society.

"I love to think of Fitzgerald in his 20s, inscribing a book to the state historical society a mere three months after it was published. It's pretty bold," said Hujda.
Fitzgerald's parents' home on Summit Avenue is now on the National Register of Historic Places, while his birthplace has been designated a literary landmark.

But Fitzgerald's lasting legacy may be putting his hometown on the literary map.

"Many lists of the best books. He's always like in the top five. So it's worthy. It's absolutely worthy of that," said Page.

Maury's StoriesSt. Paul