F. Scott Fitzgerald

I have been forever transformed by the amazing writing of F. Scott Fitzgerald. I know, I know: the guy that everyone had to read in high school. Guess what though...I never read him in school, and just recently read "The Great Gatsby".

But among my friend's in the literary world shouting blasphemy at me, I have fallen in love with yet another writer. Not only does Fitzgerald embody the pure, raw emotion of the upper crust during the jazz age, he also shows the cynicism of old money and the bastardization of the "American Dream". His use of language, describing double vision with Nick in "TGG" is perfectly mastered!

But his writing isn't the only thing that is wondrous about him. The relationship that he had with his wife Zelda is exhibitionist to say the least. Apart from Zelda's many trips to the mental institution, they were known for their odd public behavior. One of their favorite things to do was to arrive to friend's parties acting like dogs, lapping their wine and walking on all fours. They would dance in fountains naked as well as drive naked in Downtown Manhattan. My favorite thing that they did was their driving: when driving on a winding road, Zelda would reach over Fitzgerald and yank on the steering wheel, trying to get the car over the cliff's edge.

Now, Ryan's top five authors have been revised as thus:
1) Walt Whitman
2) John Steinbeck
3) William Faulkner
4) James Joyce
5) F. Scott Fitzgerald

Because of the copyright difference in the UK, there is an annotated version in England at the moment. It is hard to order online from the states, but nothing is going to stop me from buying it when I'm hanging in London in less than a month!

"Life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat; the redeeming things are not happiness and pleasure but the deeper satisfactions that come out of struggle."
F. Scott Fitzgerald