Babylon Revisited

The stories of Francis Scott Fitzgerald, published in American magazines in the early third of the 20th century, beautifully convey the atmosphere of the time from the end of World War I to the beginning of the Great Depression. This was, according to the writer himself, the "Jazz Age." The horrors of European slaughter were gradually forgotten, the future seemed bright, and the model of American development was seen as a universal scheme for all countries striving for prosperity. Fitzgerald primarily wrote about Americans who considered themselves the "elite of society." He secretly envied this youth and aspired to belong to them. The future writer was born in 1896 to a family of immigrants from Ireland. It was hard to call Francis’s parents wealthy people. His education at Princeton University was paid for by more affluent relatives. Within the walls of Princeton, the young man began to dream of literary fame. His Irish background and low financial status hindered him from penetrating the narrow elite circle of his classmates; he never quite fit in with the "golden youth." It’s no wonder that Fitzgerald began to feel hostility towards the "class of idlers." Literature gave him the opportunity to assert himself in life, to make a loud statement. He often based his characters on wealthy idlers he knew from his university days. The prototype of many young heroines in his works was the beautiful Zelda — the daughter of a respected judge in Alabama. The wealthy family of the girl, considered one of the most prominent brides in the state, was categorically opposed to her marriage to an Irishman who could not provide a comfortable existence for his future wife. In love, Fitzgerald decided to bet on his success in literary circles. He moved to New York, got a job at one of the advertising agencies in the "Big Apple," and began writing stories. At first, his manuscripts were returned. Success came to him only in 1920 after the publication of the novel "This Side of Paradise." Francis's works began to be published, he married Zelda, and soon became, in some sense, one of the heroes of his novels — acquiring a mansion in Manhattan and regularly appearing with his wife at all the iconic parties in New York. This life, seemingly so attractive, had its downside. The couple often quarreled; jealous Zelda would create scandals, and he would drown them in alcohol. The spirit of the time is well conveyed by the drawings in this edition. They were created by a whole host of American artists who illustrated Fitzgerald's stories in the early 20th century.