Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, was a paramount figure in American literature renowned for his poignant exploration of the Jazz Age's opulence and its undercurrents of disillusionment. Fitzgerald's narrative mastery is exemplified in his 1934 novel 'Tender Is the Night.' The book details the disintegration of Dick Diver, a charismatic psychiatrist, and his wife, Nicole, against the backdrop of the French Riviera, mirroring the decline of the American dream and Fitzgerald's own life struggles, including his wife Zelda's mental illness and his battle with alcoholism. Fitzgerald's literary style is marked by its eloquence, sharply drawn characters, and his adept handling of complex emotional and societal themes. His works often delve into issues of identity, class, and aspiration, capturing the zeitgeist of the roaring twenties and the Great Depression-era America. While 'Tender Is the Night' did not gain immediate commercial success, critical reassessment has cemented its status as a classic, reflecting Fitzgerald's acute understanding of human frailty. Regrettably, Fitzgerald's literary output waned with his declining health, and he passed away on December 21, 1940, at the age of 44, not living to see his oeuvre's enduring impact on American literature. Notwithstanding, Fitzgerald's novels, short stories, and essays offer an inimitable window into an era's excesses and its despondent aftermath, and he remains an unrivaled chronicler of the 1920s America.
