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The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald
Known today primarily as the author of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald was famous in the 1920s and 1930s as a short-story writer. The nineteen stories in this volume were so popular that hardcover collections—Flappers and Philosophers and Tales of the Jazz Age—came out almost immediately after the stories had appeared in magazines. With stories like “The Ice Palace,” “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” and “The Jelly Bean,” he portrayed the emotional depth of a society devoted to excess and racing heedlessly towards catastrophe that was only a few years ahead.
Flappers and philosophers.
The offshore pirate --
The ice palace --
Head and shoulders --
The cut-glass bowl --
Bernice bobs her hair --
Benediction --
Dalyrimple goes wrong --
The four fists.
Tales of the Jazz Age.
The Jelly-bean --
The camel's back --
May Day --
Porcelain and pink --
The diamond as big as the Ritz --
The curious case of Benjamin Button --
Tarquin of Cheapside --
O russet witch! --
The lees of happiness --
Mr. Icky the quintessence of quaintness in one act --
Jemina the mountain girl.
592 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1920
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About the author
F. Scott Fitzgerald
2,322 books25.5k followersFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald, widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age, a term he popularized in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age. During his lifetime, he published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. Although he achieved temporary popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald received critical acclaim only after his death and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
Born into a middle-class family in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald was raised primarily in New York state. He attended Princeton University where he befriended future literary critic Edmund Wilson. Owing to a failed romantic relationship with Chicago socialite Ginevra King, he dropped out in 1917 to join the United States Army during World War I. While stationed in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante who belonged to Montgomery's exclusive country-club set. Although she initially rejected Fitzgerald's marriage proposal due to his lack of financial prospects, Zelda agreed to marry him after he published the commercially successful This Side of Paradise (1920). The novel became a cultural sensation and cemented his reputation as one of the eminent writers of the decade.
His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned (1922), propelled him further into the cultural elite. To maintain his affluent lifestyle, he wrote numerous stories for popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, and Esquire. During this period, Fitzgerald frequented Europe, where he befriended modernist writers and artists of the "Lost Generation" expatriate community, including Ernest Hemingway. His third novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), received generally favorable reviews but was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year. Despite its lackluster debut, The Great Gatsby is now hailed by some literary critics as the "Great American Novel". Following the deterioration of his wife's mental health and her placement in a mental institute for schizophrenia, Fitzgerald completed his final novel, Tender Is the Night (1934).
Struggling financially because of the declining popularity of his works during the Great Depression, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood, where he embarked upon an unsuccessful career as a screenwriter. While living in Hollywood, he cohabited with columnist Sheilah Graham, his final companion before his death. After a long struggle with alcoholism, he attained sobriety only to die of a heart attack in 1940, at 44. His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published an unfinished fifth novel, The Last Tycoon (1941), after Fitzgerald's death. In 1993, a new edition was published as The Love of the Last Tycoon, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli.
Born into a middle-class family in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald was raised primarily in New York state. He attended Princeton University where he befriended future literary critic Edmund Wilson. Owing to a failed romantic relationship with Chicago socialite Ginevra King, he dropped out in 1917 to join the United States Army during World War I. While stationed in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante who belonged to Montgomery's exclusive country-club set. Although she initially rejected Fitzgerald's marriage proposal due to his lack of financial prospects, Zelda agreed to marry him after he published the commercially successful This Side of Paradise (1920). The novel became a cultural sensation and cemented his reputation as one of the eminent writers of the decade.
His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned (1922), propelled him further into the cultural elite. To maintain his affluent lifestyle, he wrote numerous stories for popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, and Esquire. During this period, Fitzgerald frequented Europe, where he befriended modernist writers and artists of the "Lost Generation" expatriate community, including Ernest Hemingway. His third novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), received generally favorable reviews but was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year. Despite its lackluster debut, The Great Gatsby is now hailed by some literary critics as the "Great American Novel". Following the deterioration of his wife's mental health and her placement in a mental institute for schizophrenia, Fitzgerald completed his final novel, Tender Is the Night (1934).
Struggling financially because of the declining popularity of his works during the Great Depression, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood, where he embarked upon an unsuccessful career as a screenwriter. While living in Hollywood, he cohabited with columnist Sheilah Graham, his final companion before his death. After a long struggle with alcoholism, he attained sobriety only to die of a heart attack in 1940, at 44. His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published an unfinished fifth novel, The Last Tycoon (1941), after Fitzgerald's death. In 1993, a new edition was published as The Love of the Last Tycoon, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli.
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April 9, 2025
What a truly wonderful world described by FS Fitzgerald in this pretty dense collection of short stories 😉 Loved it. A great number. 54. It was worthwhile the time I dedicated to it and the efforts to keep myself undistracted.
Stories about people with a life very strong in them, fighting for themselves to be happy, although in many cases they end up being and feeling ashamed of themselves and miserable.
Stories about people that were financial and professional successes for which they work harder than others, or it seemed so, yet they had eventually begun to pay a price for their irregular lives, if we take into account that their faces over thirty are discontented and unhappy.
Stories that lead one back to first youth and days of hope. Surely, other sort of hope than the current flow of hope.
Stories about people that get hurt but are still people of action, full of the strong vitality of the late twenties , about people that were drinking too much and needed someone on the gray days of reaction
Stories that are bitterly humorous about the characters they present, by describing all their problems of hate and bitterness, of pains and grieving, and concluding in a tragic note to say we are all failures. As one character finely said it “he had stacked the cards dexterously, but Life had played a trump from its sleeve at the last.”
Stories about certain old-fashioned convictions. For all my sense of possession, I felt how old-fashioned I am too. Ha.
Stories that show that it’s all so silly! Stories that show the glamour of an old world. Stories that show entertainments, eccentricities, and well spoiled men and women. Stories that show that you go up or down in this world. Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s happening in last century or present century.
Stories about Josephine. Oh, yes! Josephine. What a charming fine girl – certainly my favourite – one of the best, the belle of Chicago, the golden girl of the golden West - an incontestable little beauty of just sixteen years of age. A representative of her generation as the principal agent of corruption though she openly recognized her being fickle she is proud to claim her motto as “Live and let live. Everybody has a right to do what they want”. To make long story short this means just have fun with boys, dancing, parties!
Doubtless it’s really unendurable the way she’s behaving – and yes, it’s mostly dangerous and alarming when out of sudden a peculiar look is flashing across her face, a sort of expression that is easily associated with a prominent character in Faust. HA. It is curious - though her emotional maturity had seemed not quite proper , when she was putting on more sophisticated clothes – this very fact only, contributed to the change of attitude towards her and she was accepted by at least the male half in any party, or gathering. The only thing she cared about in the world was being in love and being with the person she currently loved, but oddly enough, the romantic mystery of the world moved quite often into another man. And she was just sixteen years of age yet.
It was sheer fun to watch her doing all kinds of different things – and never tired of trying anything despite the fact that sometimes it meant just to work herself into hysteria – but never forgetting that her ultimate goal is to always mark a revision of everyone’s else opinion of her.
She is chiefly revolving around an aura of new boys – centaurs in new cars (!), new tunes, parties and house parties yet to be. Goodness! I have honestly forgotten what early youth is all about. Or, it was about.
In general, she sees by instinct rather than logic, and that helps her know if there is something she failed to understand. She knows that to remain stuck for long in a certain place will eventually ruin her fine reputation - as “nobody thinks of anything but boys and dances from morning till night. They go out in their cars and kiss them from morning till night, as all these boys are just simply immoral, that’s all.” Sounds like a child letter. Funny and simple.
What a lot of nonsense to be bothered about nowadays! I mean it was a silly reason. But I am not sure this is so far away from present times. Especially for a sixteen-year-old girl. In my weekends’ walks to the park I see a lot of groups of teens – a solid mix of girls and boys – who mostly keep shouting, yelling, talking very noisily, pushing and pulling of themselves, walking like they are some legendary personages from some movies. Girls look much more mature than the boys, and this gives to the view a very funny contrast, as something is not proper. It is lovely however how they try to exchange a few warm glances one with each other, especially when some pairs are already established.
I know that I have a strong prejudice or a biased judgement when I take them in my eye. But the good thing is that on most occasions I find myself roaring with laughter. Good God! I am so happy that I have passed that critical age. Not that I have been something like that. Still, it has some silly touch to hear how they provoke each other, by entangling themselves into plots, just for the sake of being occupied with something..
In my past, a nice quiet place was best to be and it was really making a difference. By itself it had a promise of its own. In was developing in me a rather gently social vein. So now, to put the matters in a new light, let’s remember how Chris Rea is singing about his Josephine:
https://youtu.be/8fYSH8qF2WA
There's rain on my window,
And I'm thinking on you,
Tears on my pillow,
But I will come thru...
Josephine, I'll send you all my love,
And every single step I'll take
I'll take for you.
Now there's a stone on my radar,
But I can still fly.
You are the reason,
That's ruling my sky.
Life with a pain in,
I was walking away.
In the coldest of winter,
Night becomes day.
Josephine, I'll send you all my love,
And every single step I'll take
I'll take for you.
My Josephine, I'll send you all my love,
When I fall away, I'll send you all my love,
Josephine...
Stories about people with a life very strong in them, fighting for themselves to be happy, although in many cases they end up being and feeling ashamed of themselves and miserable.
Stories about people that were financial and professional successes for which they work harder than others, or it seemed so, yet they had eventually begun to pay a price for their irregular lives, if we take into account that their faces over thirty are discontented and unhappy.
Stories that lead one back to first youth and days of hope. Surely, other sort of hope than the current flow of hope.
Stories about people that get hurt but are still people of action, full of the strong vitality of the late twenties , about people that were drinking too much and needed someone on the gray days of reaction
Stories that are bitterly humorous about the characters they present, by describing all their problems of hate and bitterness, of pains and grieving, and concluding in a tragic note to say we are all failures. As one character finely said it “he had stacked the cards dexterously, but Life had played a trump from its sleeve at the last.”
Stories about certain old-fashioned convictions. For all my sense of possession, I felt how old-fashioned I am too. Ha.
Stories that show that it’s all so silly! Stories that show the glamour of an old world. Stories that show entertainments, eccentricities, and well spoiled men and women. Stories that show that you go up or down in this world. Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s happening in last century or present century.
Stories about Josephine. Oh, yes! Josephine. What a charming fine girl – certainly my favourite – one of the best, the belle of Chicago, the golden girl of the golden West - an incontestable little beauty of just sixteen years of age. A representative of her generation as the principal agent of corruption though she openly recognized her being fickle she is proud to claim her motto as “Live and let live. Everybody has a right to do what they want”. To make long story short this means just have fun with boys, dancing, parties!
Doubtless it’s really unendurable the way she’s behaving – and yes, it’s mostly dangerous and alarming when out of sudden a peculiar look is flashing across her face, a sort of expression that is easily associated with a prominent character in Faust. HA. It is curious - though her emotional maturity had seemed not quite proper , when she was putting on more sophisticated clothes – this very fact only, contributed to the change of attitude towards her and she was accepted by at least the male half in any party, or gathering. The only thing she cared about in the world was being in love and being with the person she currently loved, but oddly enough, the romantic mystery of the world moved quite often into another man. And she was just sixteen years of age yet.
It was sheer fun to watch her doing all kinds of different things – and never tired of trying anything despite the fact that sometimes it meant just to work herself into hysteria – but never forgetting that her ultimate goal is to always mark a revision of everyone’s else opinion of her.
She is chiefly revolving around an aura of new boys – centaurs in new cars (!), new tunes, parties and house parties yet to be. Goodness! I have honestly forgotten what early youth is all about. Or, it was about.
In general, she sees by instinct rather than logic, and that helps her know if there is something she failed to understand. She knows that to remain stuck for long in a certain place will eventually ruin her fine reputation - as “nobody thinks of anything but boys and dances from morning till night. They go out in their cars and kiss them from morning till night, as all these boys are just simply immoral, that’s all.” Sounds like a child letter. Funny and simple.
What a lot of nonsense to be bothered about nowadays! I mean it was a silly reason. But I am not sure this is so far away from present times. Especially for a sixteen-year-old girl. In my weekends’ walks to the park I see a lot of groups of teens – a solid mix of girls and boys – who mostly keep shouting, yelling, talking very noisily, pushing and pulling of themselves, walking like they are some legendary personages from some movies. Girls look much more mature than the boys, and this gives to the view a very funny contrast, as something is not proper. It is lovely however how they try to exchange a few warm glances one with each other, especially when some pairs are already established.
I know that I have a strong prejudice or a biased judgement when I take them in my eye. But the good thing is that on most occasions I find myself roaring with laughter. Good God! I am so happy that I have passed that critical age. Not that I have been something like that. Still, it has some silly touch to hear how they provoke each other, by entangling themselves into plots, just for the sake of being occupied with something..
In my past, a nice quiet place was best to be and it was really making a difference. By itself it had a promise of its own. In was developing in me a rather gently social vein. So now, to put the matters in a new light, let’s remember how Chris Rea is singing about his Josephine:
https://youtu.be/8fYSH8qF2WA
There's rain on my window,
And I'm thinking on you,
Tears on my pillow,
But I will come thru...
Josephine, I'll send you all my love,
And every single step I'll take
I'll take for you.
Now there's a stone on my radar,
But I can still fly.
You are the reason,
That's ruling my sky.
Life with a pain in,
I was walking away.
In the coldest of winter,
Night becomes day.
Josephine, I'll send you all my love,
And every single step I'll take
I'll take for you.
My Josephine, I'll send you all my love,
When I fall away, I'll send you all my love,
Josephine...
June 15, 2008
So different from Gatsby and This Side of Paradise, but exceedingly clever and often funny. Of course, this is where Fitzgerald made his money, so the stories tend to lean more toward entertainment than does his "serious" work. There's even a film based on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. If kids were forced to read that and "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz", perhaps more people would be Fitzgerald fans. Or perhaps not.
So as I continue to read, more and more stories echo or foreshadow The Great Gatsby, which I suppose is not much of a surprise. This does not make them bad. The more I read, the more I feel like Scott and I would have been friends, if, you know, I had money and went to Princeton and lived the high life during the Jazz Age.
Favorite line from a short story so far (from "The Sensible Thing"): "Well, let it pass, he thought; April is over, April is over. There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice."
So as I continue to read, more and more stories echo or foreshadow The Great Gatsby, which I suppose is not much of a surprise. This does not make them bad. The more I read, the more I feel like Scott and I would have been friends, if, you know, I had money and went to Princeton and lived the high life during the Jazz Age.
Favorite line from a short story so far (from "The Sensible Thing"): "Well, let it pass, he thought; April is over, April is over. There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice."
January 10, 2020
Nu ar Fitzgerald'o kūryba gali būti prasta? Žinoma, kad ne. Visos istorijos skirtingos, bet kartu ir tokios panašios. Vėl sutinkame mums gerai pažįstamą eleganciją, rafinuotumą, geras manieras, jausmų blaškomus žmones... Viskas kaip visada - tobula.
February 27, 2022
Superb ss writing even if the material is so outrageously dated in quips, racial/gender denigrations & "white class privilege" - there's no denying the imaginative and elegant display of life during the twenties in that realm.
January 15, 2020
A collection of 14x of F. Scott Fitzgerald's earliest stories, written between 1909 and 1917.
The stories (and my ratings of them) are:
The Mystery of the Raymond Mortgage” - 5 Stars
“Reade, Substitute Right Half” - 3 Stars
“A Debt of Honor” - 4 Stars
“The Room with the Green Blinds” - 5 Stars
“A Luckless Santa Claus” - 5 Stars
“Pain and the Scientist” - 5 Stars
“The Trail of the Duke” - 4 Stars
“Shadow Laurels” - 3 Stars
“The Ordeal” - 2 Stars
“The Debutante” - 5 Stars
“The Spire and the Gargoyle” (aka “Spires and Gargoyles”) - 4 Stars
“Babes in the Woods” - 3 Stars
“Sentiment- and the Use of Rouge” - 3 Stars
“The Pierian Springs and the Last Straw” - 4 Stars
The stories (and my ratings of them) are:
The Mystery of the Raymond Mortgage” - 5 Stars
“Reade, Substitute Right Half” - 3 Stars
“A Debt of Honor” - 4 Stars
“The Room with the Green Blinds” - 5 Stars
“A Luckless Santa Claus” - 5 Stars
“Pain and the Scientist” - 5 Stars
“The Trail of the Duke” - 4 Stars
“Shadow Laurels” - 3 Stars
“The Ordeal” - 2 Stars
“The Debutante” - 5 Stars
“The Spire and the Gargoyle” (aka “Spires and Gargoyles”) - 4 Stars
“Babes in the Woods” - 3 Stars
“Sentiment- and the Use of Rouge” - 3 Stars
“The Pierian Springs and the Last Straw” - 4 Stars
June 22, 2018
Antras susitikimas su Fitzgerald'u ir nė kiek nenusivyliau. Kaip tik pakerėjo. Spalvinga, jaučiama prabanga, o kartu ir skausmas, keisti siekiai bei susipainiojimas, aukštuomenės išsišokimai bei vertybių ieškojimas. Apsakymai susiję su prarastąja karta, kiekviena istorija kažkuo panaši ir kitokia. Nupiešia viena po kito geresnį paveikslą. Nesinori baigti knygos ir atsisveikinti, gerai, kad lentynoje turiu dar vieną jo knygą.
November 3, 2022
I. Original Review
I've read a selection of five stories from this anthology of forty three:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (1922) ** Un inicio inverosímil incluso para ser ficción
“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” (1922) ** Como el guión de una película para TV
“The rich boy” (1926) *** Recuerda al Gran Gatsby, aunque menos trabajada. Me gustó.
“Babylon Revisited” (1931) *** Bastante bueno el desarrollo de los personajes. Me gustó.
“The afternoon of an author” (1936) ** Inevitable una comparación desventajosa con el muy superior relato de Peter Handke.
Globalmente le doy dos estrellas y media a la selección de las consideradas cinco mejores historias cortas de Fitzgerald.
II. Final review (after a few days of the initial one)
The Short Stories, Scribner, 1998
Cuentos rebeldes, Navona, 2018
La tarde de un escritor y otros relatos, Cátedra, 2021
Autor: F.Scott Fitzgerald
Valoración global 2,5/5
Traducción Navona: 4/5
Traducción Cátedra: 4/5
A menudo se ha dicho que Fitzgerald, al igual que los demás escritores de su generación, consideraban el relato corto un género inferior, en parte por las limitaciones que les imponían las revistas para su publicación en cuanto a temática y desarrollo. Fitzgerald, sin embargo cultivó ampliamente el género, en parte por dinero y en parte por exigencias de su editor para llenar los períodos entre las novelas del autor.
De los ciento sesenta relatos que componen el canon de Fitzgerald, el especialista Matthew Bruccoli seleccionó cuarenta y tres para la excelente edición de Scribner. De estos yo he seleccionado a la vez cinco especialmente reconocidos por la crítica para esta primera lectura.
1.“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Collier’s Magazine, mayo 1922). Segunda historia publicada por Fitzgerald. Su arranque me resultó poco convincente, incluso para el género fantástico, si bien reconozco en esa inverosimilitud cierto aire kafkiano. Hay cosas que chirrían y que quizás resten credibilidad a la historia, como por ejemplo la casi total ausencia de la madre de Benjamin. El relato mejora según se aproxima a su final, que me resultó convincente y emocionante: sin duda la mejor parte de esta historia. Le doy 2,5/5
Se incluyó en la segunda colección de relatos de Fitzgerald, titulada Tales of the Jazz Age (Scribner, septiembre 1922).
2.“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” (The Smart Set Magazine, junio 1922) es una novelette o relato largo acerca de un chaval que es invitado por su millonario compañero de estudios a la remota mansión paterna, edificada al lado de una montaña de diamante. Para preservar el secreto, los invitados tienen que ser asesinados antes del momento de su regreso. A pesar de su fama me ha parecido un mal relato. Al principio recuerda algo a las historias fantásticas de Edgar Allan Poe, pero pronto cae en situaciones estereotipadas. Personalmente me recordó el guión de muchas películas baratas "de aventura" que echan en la tele los sábados por la tarde. Le doy 2/5
También se incluyó en Tales of the Jazz Age.
3.“The rich Boy” (The Red Book, enero y febrero 1926). Escrito mientras Fitzgerald esperaba la publicación de El Gran Gatsby, con el que guarda similitudes: la fascinación de Fitzgerald, no desprovista de critíca, por las clases altas, el narrador-testigo, la soledad del protagonista, etc. Aunque al igual que las historias de Dublineses de Joyce, parece más un episodio de una novela incompleta que un relato autocontenido, me ha gustado la conmovedora profundidad psicológica con que se trata al protagonista, Anson Hunter, por lo que le doy 3/5
El relato se incluyó en la tercera colección de relatos de Fitzgerald, titulada All the Sad Young Men (Scribner, febrero 1926).
4.“Babylon Revisited” (Saturday Evening Post, febrero 1931). El especialista Matthew Bruccoli lo situaba entre la media docena de mejores relatos de Fitzgerald. Los personajes tienen mayor entidad y la relación entre ellos más interés y complejidad psicológica que en sus primeros relatos. Toca asuntos como la paternidad, el alcohol, la gran resaca que dejaron los locos años 1920, el voluntario exilio "dorado" de los norteamericanos en París antes del crash, etc. El protagonista es Charles Wales, de 35 años, viudo, con una hija, ex alcohólico, que intenta recuperar la custodia de su hija y rehacer su vida. A la altura de los mejores relatos de Dublineses de Joyce, por lo que merece 3/5.
Se incluyó en Taps at Reveille, cuarta y última colección de relatos de Fizgerald (Scribner, 1935).
5. “The Afternoon of an Author” (Esquire, agosto 1936), un breve relato en el que la forma, el estilo, el tono y la temática supone un cambio con respecto a cualquier relato anterior de Fitzgerald. Me gustó moderadamente, aunque confieso que según escribo esta reseña apenas recuerdo su argumento. En todo caso me ha servido para constatar que la obra homóloga de Peter Handke es realmente una obra maestra. Le doy 2/5.
III. Sobre traducciones
Descartada la traducción de Justo Navarro por su poco respeto por el original, elegí para acompañar mi lectura en inglés las traducciones de Navona y de Cátedra. De estas dos, quizás la primera se tome más libertades con respecto al original que la segunda, que tiene además la ventaja de estar muy bien anotada y venir acompañada de un buen estudio introductorio sobre Fitzgerald, su obra en general y los relatos incluídos en la selección. Sin embargo, debo reconocer que la de Navona, a pesar de sus ocasionales infidelidades al original, se lee con más gusto.
I've read a selection of five stories from this anthology of forty three:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (1922) ** Un inicio inverosímil incluso para ser ficción
“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” (1922) ** Como el guión de una película para TV
“The rich boy” (1926) *** Recuerda al Gran Gatsby, aunque menos trabajada. Me gustó.
“Babylon Revisited” (1931) *** Bastante bueno el desarrollo de los personajes. Me gustó.
“The afternoon of an author” (1936) ** Inevitable una comparación desventajosa con el muy superior relato de Peter Handke.
Globalmente le doy dos estrellas y media a la selección de las consideradas cinco mejores historias cortas de Fitzgerald.
II. Final review (after a few days of the initial one)
The Short Stories, Scribner, 1998
Cuentos rebeldes, Navona, 2018
La tarde de un escritor y otros relatos, Cátedra, 2021
Autor: F.Scott Fitzgerald
Valoración global 2,5/5
Traducción Navona: 4/5
Traducción Cátedra: 4/5
A menudo se ha dicho que Fitzgerald, al igual que los demás escritores de su generación, consideraban el relato corto un género inferior, en parte por las limitaciones que les imponían las revistas para su publicación en cuanto a temática y desarrollo. Fitzgerald, sin embargo cultivó ampliamente el género, en parte por dinero y en parte por exigencias de su editor para llenar los períodos entre las novelas del autor.
De los ciento sesenta relatos que componen el canon de Fitzgerald, el especialista Matthew Bruccoli seleccionó cuarenta y tres para la excelente edición de Scribner. De estos yo he seleccionado a la vez cinco especialmente reconocidos por la crítica para esta primera lectura.
1.“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Collier’s Magazine, mayo 1922). Segunda historia publicada por Fitzgerald. Su arranque me resultó poco convincente, incluso para el género fantástico, si bien reconozco en esa inverosimilitud cierto aire kafkiano. Hay cosas que chirrían y que quizás resten credibilidad a la historia, como por ejemplo la casi total ausencia de la madre de Benjamin. El relato mejora según se aproxima a su final, que me resultó convincente y emocionante: sin duda la mejor parte de esta historia. Le doy 2,5/5
Se incluyó en la segunda colección de relatos de Fitzgerald, titulada Tales of the Jazz Age (Scribner, septiembre 1922).
2.“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” (The Smart Set Magazine, junio 1922) es una novelette o relato largo acerca de un chaval que es invitado por su millonario compañero de estudios a la remota mansión paterna, edificada al lado de una montaña de diamante. Para preservar el secreto, los invitados tienen que ser asesinados antes del momento de su regreso. A pesar de su fama me ha parecido un mal relato. Al principio recuerda algo a las historias fantásticas de Edgar Allan Poe, pero pronto cae en situaciones estereotipadas. Personalmente me recordó el guión de muchas películas baratas "de aventura" que echan en la tele los sábados por la tarde. Le doy 2/5
También se incluyó en Tales of the Jazz Age.
3.“The rich Boy” (The Red Book, enero y febrero 1926). Escrito mientras Fitzgerald esperaba la publicación de El Gran Gatsby, con el que guarda similitudes: la fascinación de Fitzgerald, no desprovista de critíca, por las clases altas, el narrador-testigo, la soledad del protagonista, etc. Aunque al igual que las historias de Dublineses de Joyce, parece más un episodio de una novela incompleta que un relato autocontenido, me ha gustado la conmovedora profundidad psicológica con que se trata al protagonista, Anson Hunter, por lo que le doy 3/5
El relato se incluyó en la tercera colección de relatos de Fitzgerald, titulada All the Sad Young Men (Scribner, febrero 1926).
4.“Babylon Revisited” (Saturday Evening Post, febrero 1931). El especialista Matthew Bruccoli lo situaba entre la media docena de mejores relatos de Fitzgerald. Los personajes tienen mayor entidad y la relación entre ellos más interés y complejidad psicológica que en sus primeros relatos. Toca asuntos como la paternidad, el alcohol, la gran resaca que dejaron los locos años 1920, el voluntario exilio "dorado" de los norteamericanos en París antes del crash, etc. El protagonista es Charles Wales, de 35 años, viudo, con una hija, ex alcohólico, que intenta recuperar la custodia de su hija y rehacer su vida. A la altura de los mejores relatos de Dublineses de Joyce, por lo que merece 3/5.
Se incluyó en Taps at Reveille, cuarta y última colección de relatos de Fizgerald (Scribner, 1935).
5. “The Afternoon of an Author” (Esquire, agosto 1936), un breve relato en el que la forma, el estilo, el tono y la temática supone un cambio con respecto a cualquier relato anterior de Fitzgerald. Me gustó moderadamente, aunque confieso que según escribo esta reseña apenas recuerdo su argumento. En todo caso me ha servido para constatar que la obra homóloga de Peter Handke es realmente una obra maestra. Le doy 2/5.
III. Sobre traducciones
Descartada la traducción de Justo Navarro por su poco respeto por el original, elegí para acompañar mi lectura en inglés las traducciones de Navona y de Cátedra. De estas dos, quizás la primera se tome más libertades con respecto al original que la segunda, que tiene además la ventaja de estar muy bien anotada y venir acompañada de un buen estudio introductorio sobre Fitzgerald, su obra en general y los relatos incluídos en la selección. Sin embargo, debo reconocer que la de Navona, a pesar de sus ocasionales infidelidades al original, se lee con más gusto.
December 27, 2020
The Short Stories of F Scott Fitzgerald.
This is a lengthy book. You would be hard pressed to read this collection and not gain some deep insights into what Fitzgerald was going through in his real life. That’s because most of these stories are autobiographical or written with his friends and Zelda in mind.
But the excess. Reading this collection makes you want to shout “Just stop the drinking!” Of course Fitzgerald never could stop. And beyond the effects of alcohol that led to his deteriorating health and to his premature death, it struck me that Fitzgerald rarely wrote about anything else. Of course he wrote so perceptively about this era for a decade for the Saturday Evening Post and was rewarded handsomely. So the stories just kept coming and it’s undoubtedly what the readers wanted from him. His novels though did not sell well at the time and they were not nearly as popular as today. So he really was known for the 150 or so stories of which 40 are in this collection.
Here are my favorite stories.
1. The Ice Palace - a clever story about a southern belle marrying a Yankee. An early story in Fitzgerald’s career.
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - an imaginative story of an old man who ages in reverse.
3. The Rich Boy - Fitzgerald’s most famous novella and for good reason. An insightful and surprisingly sympathetic view of a rich young man.
4. The Swimmers - my favorite story. An interesting contrast between America and the old ways of Europe and an American who comes up with a clever plan to get back at his unfaithful French wife.
5. The Bridal Party - a man has come into money and wishes to stop his ex-girlfriend - for whom he still has feelings - from getting married to a broker who just lost his savings in the stock market crash.
6. Babylon Revisited - a man arrives back in Paris (Babylon) several years after the roaring ‘20s and the stock market crash. He tries to persuade his daughter and her guardians to let the child come live with him now that he’s recovered. But the past is not so easy to shake off. Perhaps Fitzgerald’s most famous short story.
7. Dearly Beloved - a story about a young black couple whose dreams end in the pandemic of 1918. A very short story and more lyrical than his others.
4 stars.
This is a lengthy book. You would be hard pressed to read this collection and not gain some deep insights into what Fitzgerald was going through in his real life. That’s because most of these stories are autobiographical or written with his friends and Zelda in mind.
But the excess. Reading this collection makes you want to shout “Just stop the drinking!” Of course Fitzgerald never could stop. And beyond the effects of alcohol that led to his deteriorating health and to his premature death, it struck me that Fitzgerald rarely wrote about anything else. Of course he wrote so perceptively about this era for a decade for the Saturday Evening Post and was rewarded handsomely. So the stories just kept coming and it’s undoubtedly what the readers wanted from him. His novels though did not sell well at the time and they were not nearly as popular as today. So he really was known for the 150 or so stories of which 40 are in this collection.
Here are my favorite stories.
1. The Ice Palace - a clever story about a southern belle marrying a Yankee. An early story in Fitzgerald’s career.
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - an imaginative story of an old man who ages in reverse.
3. The Rich Boy - Fitzgerald’s most famous novella and for good reason. An insightful and surprisingly sympathetic view of a rich young man.
4. The Swimmers - my favorite story. An interesting contrast between America and the old ways of Europe and an American who comes up with a clever plan to get back at his unfaithful French wife.
5. The Bridal Party - a man has come into money and wishes to stop his ex-girlfriend - for whom he still has feelings - from getting married to a broker who just lost his savings in the stock market crash.
6. Babylon Revisited - a man arrives back in Paris (Babylon) several years after the roaring ‘20s and the stock market crash. He tries to persuade his daughter and her guardians to let the child come live with him now that he’s recovered. But the past is not so easy to shake off. Perhaps Fitzgerald’s most famous short story.
7. Dearly Beloved - a story about a young black couple whose dreams end in the pandemic of 1918. A very short story and more lyrical than his others.
4 stars.
December 22, 2008
I have read this book countless times. If you only ever buy one F. Scott book, buy this one. His development as an author unfolds before your eyes as you read his early stories of ambitious youth and eventually wander into his later tales of reflection on human frailty. From Bernice and her Bob to Emotional Bankruptcy and everything in between, this is a collection of short stories to keep on your bedside table for a lifetime.
May 6, 2015
This book of short stories - novellas really, as each story is an hour or so long - are very much of their time. People don't live like that any more. Its a three and a half star book, the boring stories, Benediction and the Camel's Back getting two stars each and the really good ones, Bernice and Benjamin Button getting four. The Lees of Happiness is right in the middle with three.
Bernice Bobs her Hair is a lovely story of how the makeover of an unpopular cousin rebounds on the one generous enough to help the girl but not quite generous enough to give up her own man and place in the spotlight. Bernice gets her own back!
Benediction is a story that might appeal to Catholics a lot more than it did to me.
The Camel's Back was probably very amusing at the time but now the tales of the rich and louche who offer money to those they consider their social inferiors as a way of getting them to do what they want has been taken over by endless tales of Hollywood stars and rich nobodies like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and those of their ilk. Time, and wrinkles, will put them (back) in their place!
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a better film, a marvellous film, that it was short novel. Its an interesting concept, starting off old and working backwards in life and F. Scott Fitzgerald told it better than anyone.
The last story, the Lees of Happiness, meandered hither and thither and there was an overdone contrast between the bleached blonde and the good woman who stood by her man 'til the very end. However, it was the bleached blonde that came out with what she wanted, although I don't think I was supposed to draw that conclusion. I think my sympathies were supposed to lie with the virtue of the good woman and so they did, until the end. What point is there in maintaining virtue over happiness when there is no one to benefit?
You can listen to the stories here: http://librivox.org/selected-short-st...
Bernice Bobs her Hair is a lovely story of how the makeover of an unpopular cousin rebounds on the one generous enough to help the girl but not quite generous enough to give up her own man and place in the spotlight. Bernice gets her own back!
Benediction is a story that might appeal to Catholics a lot more than it did to me.
The Camel's Back was probably very amusing at the time but now the tales of the rich and louche who offer money to those they consider their social inferiors as a way of getting them to do what they want has been taken over by endless tales of Hollywood stars and rich nobodies like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and those of their ilk. Time, and wrinkles, will put them (back) in their place!
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a better film, a marvellous film, that it was short novel. Its an interesting concept, starting off old and working backwards in life and F. Scott Fitzgerald told it better than anyone.
The last story, the Lees of Happiness, meandered hither and thither and there was an overdone contrast between the bleached blonde and the good woman who stood by her man 'til the very end. However, it was the bleached blonde that came out with what she wanted, although I don't think I was supposed to draw that conclusion. I think my sympathies were supposed to lie with the virtue of the good woman and so they did, until the end. What point is there in maintaining virtue over happiness when there is no one to benefit?
You can listen to the stories here: http://librivox.org/selected-short-st...
May 27, 2018
"Shocking" as it may seem, I had never read even a single line written by F. Scott Fitzgerald till this week and this rather short collection of stories. Never watched any of the big screen adaptations of his novels either, most notably of The Great Gatsby. I had a feeling I'd love him - and in a way I was "reserving" him in my mind as something exceptional for a difficult time - but I had no idea of how much I'd love him!
Even though I read these short stories in a very old and stilted Greek translation from the early 60s, I'm in awe of his writing skills and of the totally original and penetrating way he treated his subjects that were very removed from my usual interests. Pure genious!
Can't wait to buy his whole œuvre - in the original English this time! - and immerse myself in his world.
Even though I read these short stories in a very old and stilted Greek translation from the early 60s, I'm in awe of his writing skills and of the totally original and penetrating way he treated his subjects that were very removed from my usual interests. Pure genious!
Can't wait to buy his whole œuvre - in the original English this time! - and immerse myself in his world.
August 24, 2023
Nedaugžodžiausiu - F. Scott Fitzgerald kūryba tiesiog puiki, labai įdomi skaityti, ne išimtis ir ši knyga 😊.
„Neįmanoma turėti to, ką iššvaistei.“
„Neįmanoma turėti to, ką iššvaistei.“
May 6, 2024
Love love love Fitzgerald. He just has such a way with language. I feel like I now understand the early 20th century better, and his stories are easy to relate to since we were both born near the turn of a century.
August 7, 2021
I am biased in that I think Fitzgerald is one of the best stylistic American writers of 20th century. His style is damn beautiful. It shakes my Libra Rising to the core.
I went through a severe Fitzgerald phase in 2019 summer and that was perhaps one of the best summers I’ve had as an aesthete/profligate/personage. I still herald “This Side of Paradise” as his standout work and his other collections of short stories (Flappers and Philosophers, Tales of the Jazz Age, Bernice Bobs Her Hair) as quintessential Fitzgerald. By that I mean they really have no substance or gravitas and they revolved around the most trivial of bourgeoisie upper-echelon heterosexual matters that they’ve become an insatiable guilty pleasure by now.
(The Great Gatsby, by contrast, has gravitas and depth; and studied to death in high school. It remains a favorite, but by no means a guilty pleasure read)
This compendium of short stories (800 pages!!) is extremely thorough. It kinda mashes together all of Fitzgerald’s lesser known stories but really paints a picture of him as a struggling writer (with alcoholism). Many stories are sell-outs. They are soulless and uninspired. I forget them as soon as I read them
Some standout ones were the plot following the young Josephine (a lesser Rosaline, imo) and her adventures as a debutante. Writing about love is where Fitzgerald excels at; the kind of love that clings to a callous youth and futile beauty. Another great one was on the two American travellers settling in Europe, young and idealistic, they catch glimpse of mirror images, then the degradation of their morals and dreams.
I don’t really recommend this book unless you are bored and in need of some aesthetics writing (if you have already exhausted your Oscar Wilde options). Many stories serve no purpose, and I rather you read his novels instead.
I went through a severe Fitzgerald phase in 2019 summer and that was perhaps one of the best summers I’ve had as an aesthete/profligate/personage. I still herald “This Side of Paradise” as his standout work and his other collections of short stories (Flappers and Philosophers, Tales of the Jazz Age, Bernice Bobs Her Hair) as quintessential Fitzgerald. By that I mean they really have no substance or gravitas and they revolved around the most trivial of bourgeoisie upper-echelon heterosexual matters that they’ve become an insatiable guilty pleasure by now.
(The Great Gatsby, by contrast, has gravitas and depth; and studied to death in high school. It remains a favorite, but by no means a guilty pleasure read)
This compendium of short stories (800 pages!!) is extremely thorough. It kinda mashes together all of Fitzgerald’s lesser known stories but really paints a picture of him as a struggling writer (with alcoholism). Many stories are sell-outs. They are soulless and uninspired. I forget them as soon as I read them
Some standout ones were the plot following the young Josephine (a lesser Rosaline, imo) and her adventures as a debutante. Writing about love is where Fitzgerald excels at; the kind of love that clings to a callous youth and futile beauty. Another great one was on the two American travellers settling in Europe, young and idealistic, they catch glimpse of mirror images, then the degradation of their morals and dreams.
I don’t really recommend this book unless you are bored and in need of some aesthetics writing (if you have already exhausted your Oscar Wilde options). Many stories serve no purpose, and I rather you read his novels instead.
September 15, 2020
Scott Fitzgerald surely could write short stories, but this collection has too much variation in quality. I was delighted by a poem though (yes, a poem) in the novelle 'May Day 1920', a real gem.
April 19, 2024
I've been reading this for months, and had had it on my list for years! I'm very pleased with myself that I can cross it off my list.
I had thought this was all of his short stories, but it was just a complication. I'd be interested in reading more of the Basil and Josephine series! The writing was excellent, of course, but some of the plots didn't move me. I also thought the arrangement of the stories could have been a bit better. The latter stories were a bit of a drag. Though, I think, they're were somewhat in chronicle order?
I haven't read any of his novels in awhile. Maybe I'll reread them this summer.
I had thought this was all of his short stories, but it was just a complication. I'd be interested in reading more of the Basil and Josephine series! The writing was excellent, of course, but some of the plots didn't move me. I also thought the arrangement of the stories could have been a bit better. The latter stories were a bit of a drag. Though, I think, they're were somewhat in chronicle order?
I haven't read any of his novels in awhile. Maybe I'll reread them this summer.
July 23, 2023
,,Ir kad kiekvieną kartą, į jį pažvelgusi, suvirpėčiau taip, kaip kartais virpu bendraudama su nauju pažįstamu; bet su juo taip jaustis turėčiau kiekvieną kartą, visą gyvenimą.’’
March 30, 2019
"-Atravesaremos el cielo tenebroso con los brazos abiertos -gritó- y los pies extendidos como colas de delfines, y creeremos que nunca llegaremos al agua hasta que de repente nos rodee la tibieza y las olas nos besen y acaricien."
"¿Por qué algunas veces terminan las noches en una nota aguda, y no se desvanecen suavemente como una música?"
"Entonces Sally lo besó hasta que el cielo pareció apagarse poco a poco, y todas sus sonrisas y lágrimas se desvanecieron en el éxtasis de un minuto eterno."
"Se tumbarían en la arena de la playa del sur, casi sin hablar, mirando sólo cómo el día, multicolor y trágico, se disolvía en la infinita languidez de una noche tropical."
"Y en aquel éxtasis veía lo que le estaba sucediendo en aquel instante: era un estado de percepción intensísima, la sensación de hallarse, por una vez, en extraordinaria armonía con la vida, la sensación de que todo irradiaba a su alrededor una claridad y en esplendor que jamás volvería a conocer."
"Miraba cómo la brisa rizaba las aguas, melaza de plata bajo la luna llena. Y entonces la luna se llevó un dedo a los labios y el lago se transformó en una piscina clara, pálida y tranquila."
"A los dieciocho años las convicciones son montañas desde las que miramos; a los cuarenta y cinco son cavernas en las que nos escondemos."
"¿Qué era lo que, cuando apenas lo había empezado a conocer, ya no conocería nunca? ¿Qué había sucedido en el jardín aquella tarde, cuál era la emoción que se había extinguido en el mismo instante en que nacía?"
"La juventud siempre es un sueño, una forma de locura química.-¡Pues es agradable estar loco!-. Eso me han dicho..."
"Había perdido la batalla contra la juventud y la primavera, y con su dolor redimía un pecado imperdonable y propio de su edad: negarse a morir."
"Pero no era la expresión de una víctima, sino la del verdadero demonio de la dulce melancolía."
"Y por primera vez en su vida deseó apasionadamente tener más años, y ser menos impresionable, menos sensible. Estremeciéndose ante cada aroma, cada imagen, cada melodía, quería estar ya de vuelta de todo..."
"A los veintitrés años yo no estaba convencido de nada, excepto de que algunas personas eran fuertes y atractivas y podían hacer lo que quisieran, y otras habían nacido para la vergüenza, sin remedio."
"El taxista me miraba con indulgencia mientras yo tropezaba, hundido hasta las rodillas en la maleza, buscando mi juventud en una tabla, unos restos de techumbre o una lata de tomate oxidada."
"No me daba cuenta, pero los días pasaban sin parar, uno tras otro, y así pasaron los años, y todo había pasado, hasta yo mismo."
"-Vamos a dejar todo esto -dijo Nicole con firmeza, pero algo en su interior le replicó: 'Qué pena... Este precioso mar azul, esta felicidad..."
"En el silencio tenso sintió la ilusión de que existía entre ellos una intimidad especial, como si compartieran los secretos de muchos años."
"Porque las cosas cambian y llegan a ser distintas que apenas podemos reconocerlas y parece que sólo nuestros nombres siguen siendo los mismos."
"¿Por qué algunas veces terminan las noches en una nota aguda, y no se desvanecen suavemente como una música?"
"Entonces Sally lo besó hasta que el cielo pareció apagarse poco a poco, y todas sus sonrisas y lágrimas se desvanecieron en el éxtasis de un minuto eterno."
"Se tumbarían en la arena de la playa del sur, casi sin hablar, mirando sólo cómo el día, multicolor y trágico, se disolvía en la infinita languidez de una noche tropical."
"Y en aquel éxtasis veía lo que le estaba sucediendo en aquel instante: era un estado de percepción intensísima, la sensación de hallarse, por una vez, en extraordinaria armonía con la vida, la sensación de que todo irradiaba a su alrededor una claridad y en esplendor que jamás volvería a conocer."
"Miraba cómo la brisa rizaba las aguas, melaza de plata bajo la luna llena. Y entonces la luna se llevó un dedo a los labios y el lago se transformó en una piscina clara, pálida y tranquila."
"A los dieciocho años las convicciones son montañas desde las que miramos; a los cuarenta y cinco son cavernas en las que nos escondemos."
"¿Qué era lo que, cuando apenas lo había empezado a conocer, ya no conocería nunca? ¿Qué había sucedido en el jardín aquella tarde, cuál era la emoción que se había extinguido en el mismo instante en que nacía?"
"La juventud siempre es un sueño, una forma de locura química.-¡Pues es agradable estar loco!-. Eso me han dicho..."
"Había perdido la batalla contra la juventud y la primavera, y con su dolor redimía un pecado imperdonable y propio de su edad: negarse a morir."
"Pero no era la expresión de una víctima, sino la del verdadero demonio de la dulce melancolía."
"Y por primera vez en su vida deseó apasionadamente tener más años, y ser menos impresionable, menos sensible. Estremeciéndose ante cada aroma, cada imagen, cada melodía, quería estar ya de vuelta de todo..."
"A los veintitrés años yo no estaba convencido de nada, excepto de que algunas personas eran fuertes y atractivas y podían hacer lo que quisieran, y otras habían nacido para la vergüenza, sin remedio."
"El taxista me miraba con indulgencia mientras yo tropezaba, hundido hasta las rodillas en la maleza, buscando mi juventud en una tabla, unos restos de techumbre o una lata de tomate oxidada."
"No me daba cuenta, pero los días pasaban sin parar, uno tras otro, y así pasaron los años, y todo había pasado, hasta yo mismo."
"-Vamos a dejar todo esto -dijo Nicole con firmeza, pero algo en su interior le replicó: 'Qué pena... Este precioso mar azul, esta felicidad..."
"En el silencio tenso sintió la ilusión de que existía entre ellos una intimidad especial, como si compartieran los secretos de muchos años."
"Porque las cosas cambian y llegan a ser distintas que apenas podemos reconocerlas y parece que sólo nuestros nombres siguen siendo los mismos."
May 11, 2011
First of all, I really appreciated Bruccoli's collection. The introduction is personable and informative and the small explanations before each story help to place the writer within his context.
Some might say that so many stories might become drab. How much rich whining and "poor in spirit" can one take? I think this is something we take for granted now. Then, before and after the Crash and The Great Depression, when the national identity and arrogance was wrapped up in the frivolity of day-to-day vacationing and swollen bank accounts, such a view on the "Rich" was either inconsequential, beyond surface acknowledgement, or pure fantasy and scholastic foreplay. I think it unfair to discount Fitzgerald's perspective and clarity of mind simply because of his subject matter.
As was so poignantly captured in "Dearly Beloved", youth was the strength of Fitzgerald's understanding. Not the physical vigor or potential prowess of it, but the dreaming and looking to a better day. But what better day is there than being in youth? it's one plague the distraction toward the future. Perhaps Fitzgerald tried to remain in his youth, much to his own disillusionment.
This was an excellent collection, an excellent read and I feel I now know the writer and would tell anyone that I prefer his short stories to his novels.
Some might say that so many stories might become drab. How much rich whining and "poor in spirit" can one take? I think this is something we take for granted now. Then, before and after the Crash and The Great Depression, when the national identity and arrogance was wrapped up in the frivolity of day-to-day vacationing and swollen bank accounts, such a view on the "Rich" was either inconsequential, beyond surface acknowledgement, or pure fantasy and scholastic foreplay. I think it unfair to discount Fitzgerald's perspective and clarity of mind simply because of his subject matter.
As was so poignantly captured in "Dearly Beloved", youth was the strength of Fitzgerald's understanding. Not the physical vigor or potential prowess of it, but the dreaming and looking to a better day. But what better day is there than being in youth? it's one plague the distraction toward the future. Perhaps Fitzgerald tried to remain in his youth, much to his own disillusionment.
This was an excellent collection, an excellent read and I feel I now know the writer and would tell anyone that I prefer his short stories to his novels.
August 5, 2015
Very enjoyable read... Fitzgerald has a way with words that is unlike anyone else I've read. I stand his work up well with Hemingway's, and of course he has his own post-war flavor and a unique gift for phrasing. I definitely want to check into some of his longer works as well. Some of the stories in the later portion of the book deserve a mention, as I've mentioned others along the way...The Swimmers was cool how the swimming actually became the thing that leveraged the rights to the character's child away from the antagonist in the boat. Another highlight was The Hotel Child. I thought More Than Just A House was great and turned out nice. Boil Some Water--Lots of It! was a slightly bizarre and funny one. Also Last Kiss held true to many of the author's melancholic tendencies but was another involving story. Babylon Revisited is one that stands out as well, with its autobiographical elements and story of the character trying to redeem himself and get his daughter. Also, What A Handsome Pair!, with the musician angle, and the recurring theme of a sought-after woman, who really is lost to both of the leading male characters of the story in the end.
August 15, 2012
There are times when Fitzgerald can quite literally make me gasp, sigh, laugh, become teary-eyed, or even place a hand over my heart as I am reading; he is just one of those authors with the beautiful ability to transcend the page and put the story's very breath right into me. Then there are times when I just could not care less about yet another flapper girl, emotionally desolate American, broken dream, etc, etc. There are stories in here that are pure beauty, there are those that are mediocre, and there are those that I was bored to pieces with.
My favorites of the collection:
Head and Shoulders
The Ice Palace
The Offshore Pirate
The Bowl
At Your Age
The Swimmers
Two Wrongs
The Bridal Party
Babylon Revisited
Crazy Sunday
Afternoon of an Author (this one doesn't actually have nearly as much emotional power as the others, actually, but I'm including it here because it's a great little satire on the life of a writer and really lets Fitzgerald show off his wit and humor)
My favorites of the collection:
Head and Shoulders
The Ice Palace
The Offshore Pirate
The Bowl
At Your Age
The Swimmers
Two Wrongs
The Bridal Party
Babylon Revisited
Crazy Sunday
Afternoon of an Author (this one doesn't actually have nearly as much emotional power as the others, actually, but I'm including it here because it's a great little satire on the life of a writer and really lets Fitzgerald show off his wit and humor)
May 13, 2008
My friend recommended this book, and I really wanted to like it. While Fitzgerald's pedigree cannot be debated, this anthology is a good example of drinking from a fire hose. How many stories of Ivy League socialites or bored Southern heiresses does one need? For me the answer is about 300 pages fewer than the 750 contained in this volume.
Skip around and skim - there's plenty to enjoy here, but no need to take in everything. Special mention must be made of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Fitzgerald's wildly imaginative tale of a man who ages backward.
Skip around and skim - there's plenty to enjoy here, but no need to take in everything. Special mention must be made of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Fitzgerald's wildly imaginative tale of a man who ages backward.
February 23, 2016
Прочетох разказите на Фитцджералд, които издаде списание "Биограф" - една много малка книжка, за съжаление не виждам това изданние в ГР и поради това избрах по-общо наименование. Книгата ми хареса, пренесе ме с лекота в 30-те години на миналия век, време, чийто дух и особености авторът е уловил и показал по много един лек, ненатрапчив начин, с чувство за тънък хумор. За мен в последно време разказът като жанр е сред любимите. От Фитцджералд бях чела само "Нежна е нощта" преди години и ми беше оставила много хубав спомен. Затова с удоволствие се потопих в неговите разкази. И ми беше приятно.
July 17, 2007
fitzgerald is my favorite short story author of all time. he is one of the few writers (including even the great flannery, herself) that can hold my attention throughout an entire book of short stories. most authors seem to delve into formulaic patterns of how they write stories. fitzgerald stand firm, funny, witty, a little sad round the edges, attempting to keep the sparkle in the eyes, knowing that the lights gone out...
May 4, 2017
Essendo racconti, non tutti sono ugualmente coinvolgenti, ben scritti e sensati. Lo stesso autore odiava scriverli e li considerava "intervalli di spazzatura" tra un romanzo e l'altro. Li scriveva per mantenere la famiglia: non sono quindi il meglio che poteva scrivere. Però ho trovato molto belli "Amore nella notte", " Una pagina nuova" e sopratutto il brevissimo "Pomeriggio di un autore".
Currently reading
April 25, 2008Been reading this book for like a month and a half but thats why I like short story collections--you can take some time off and not forget everything that has happened.
July 23, 2013
Highly recommend it to all of you who search for a view of US culture from the inside.
September 23, 2014
Somewhat uneven, but the good ones are dang good. "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," "The Ice Palace," and "The Swimmers" were my favorites.
June 15, 2016
Есть Волосы Вероники и другие крутые рассказы, но в целом — только убить время чужими придуманными заботами
February 5, 2023
I got to reading this book as a part of a F. Scott Fitzgerald collection I own because I don't very much like having unread books lying in my bookcase. The more I read from F.S.F., the more I come to realise that I'm not the greatest fan of his work.
Most of the short stories in here seemed to be longer projects that he gave up on and decided he would publish as a short story or projects he had to meet a timeline for, with the characters either being introduced very slowly and methodically to no avail really or coming and going from the plot line with the sole purpose of unnecessarily crowding it. Some others had solid character building and a nice pace but I would find myself thinking "so, what of it?" when I had finished reading them.
I especially disliked the stories which linked to one another, giving off the sense of scraps of work from a whole book which he completely failed to bring together and just decided to publish anyhow. With little exception the characters that appear in these stories come from the same moulds that F.S.F. apparently uses for all his bodies of work.
My honourable mentions would be "The Rough Crossing" and "Family In The Wind".
Most of the short stories in here seemed to be longer projects that he gave up on and decided he would publish as a short story or projects he had to meet a timeline for, with the characters either being introduced very slowly and methodically to no avail really or coming and going from the plot line with the sole purpose of unnecessarily crowding it. Some others had solid character building and a nice pace but I would find myself thinking "so, what of it?" when I had finished reading them.
I especially disliked the stories which linked to one another, giving off the sense of scraps of work from a whole book which he completely failed to bring together and just decided to publish anyhow. With little exception the characters that appear in these stories come from the same moulds that F.S.F. apparently uses for all his bodies of work.
My honourable mentions would be "The Rough Crossing" and "Family In The Wind".
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