The Collected Writings of Zelda Fitzgerald [Paperback]

Zelda Fitzgerald (Author), Matthew J. Bruccoli (Editor), Mary Gordon (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The beautiful, ill-fated debutante flapper from Alabama who inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jazz Age stories wanted to be a great writer like her husband. But her short stories, articles, letters, the novel Save Me the Waltz and her play Scandalabra --most of which were written after her 1930 breakdown--are not persuasive evidence that she had great talent. The two Fitzgeralds shared subject matter (both Save Me the Waltz and Scott's Tender Is the Night depict their glamorous marriage) and a gift for rich atmospheric buildup, sensual detail and imaginative metaphor. With the exception of a few short stories, however, Zelda's fiction is lacking in plot structure, character development, and psychological or emotional depth. Her free-associative style, which drifts from the imaginative to the surreal to the incoherent, often seems to reflect mental instability. Still, her articles and letters, sometimes studded with witty observations and aphorisms, are valuable as social and literary history.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald has long been a romantic figure in American literature--the beautiful Southern belle-turned-flapper, the glamorous wife of F. Scott, the tragic madwoman. Few readers would ever think of her as a writer. Yet from 1922 to 1934, she published a novel, a play, short stories, and magazine articles. This first comprehensive collection of her work is much more than a literary curiosity. Compiled by noted Fitzgerald scholar Bruccoli, it represents Zelda's attempt to find her own creative identity separate from her status as the wife of a famous novelist. Included are her haunting novel Save Me the Waltz , her "farce fantasy" play Scan dalabra, semi-autobiographical stories and articles, and letters written to her husband from the passionate days of their courtship to the bitterness and sadness of Zelda's mental breakdown. While much of her prose is overblown with almost surrealistic descriptions, making for sometimes difficult reading, there is an original mind and wit at work here. The tragedy is that her mental state (she wrote many of these pieces after her 1930 breakdown) prevented her from developing her craft as writer. Highly recommended for literature collections.
-Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: University Alabama Press (March 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817308849
• ISBN-13: 978-0817308841
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful, surreal book, June 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Collected Writings of Zelda Fitzgerald (Paperback)

Zelda Fitzgerald spent much of her life trying to struggle out of the shadow of her famous husband. For many years she was both a literal and figurative inspiration for his work, often helping him with his stories. This book of her writings allows her to finally take her own place in the fiction world. Her novel, Save Me the Waltz, is an incredible book in which language becomes surrealistic art. There are two sides to every story, and it is interesting to hear Zelda's interpretation of her life with Fitzgerald. The novel itself is a gradual emotional and physical breakdown as it documents a woman on her voyage of self discovery and artistic fulfillment. It has been said that Zelda was a true original and, once encountered, was never forgotten. The same can be said about her work. Though she will unfortunately always be paired and compared with Fizgerald, her voice and style is all her own.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book of all time., June 17, 2004

By 

Sara M. Kay "pagan bookworm" (Newport, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Collected Writings of Zelda Fitzgerald (Paperback)

Why do you ask? Because of all the other works of literature out there, this one is among the very few which commands my attention with its dizzying abstract imagery and depth. Zelda Fitzgerald was known chiefly as being Mrs. Francis Scott Fitzgerald, which was something she tried to overthrow by becoming a dancer, an artist, and a writer. For those who are interested in reading Zelda's work, this is the only book you need to buy, as it includes her novel "Save Me the Waltz", her play "Scandalabra", as well as her many short stories and articles.

"Save Me the Waltz" is a gorgeous book which Zelda modelled after her own life. Scott and Scottie Fitzgerald are David and Bonnie Knight, Judge Austin and Millie Beggs are Judge Anthony and Minnie Sayre (Zelda's parents), Joan Beggs is Clothilde Sayre (one of Zelda's sisters), Jacques Chevre-Feuille is Edouard Jozan, etc etc. The parallels are impossible to miss if you already know about Zelda's life. It is interesting to read Zelda's many descriptions, for you can actually imagine in your mind what she actually saw.

"Scandalabra" is a light comedic play which, if given a decent production and cast, would be a huge stage hit. Sadly, as far as I know there have only been a couple of productions and each of them were dismal failures. In order to inherit his wealthy uncle's fortune, a young, naive and happily married man must evolve into a scoundrel and paint his wife as an adulteress. All of the characters are careless beings trying to live in a serious world, and therefore it is hard to capture this strange balance on the stage.

Her short stories are all short and sweet vignettes, many of them were published under Scott's byline so they would earn more money rather than if they were only under Zelda's name. Among the best: "A Couple of Nuts", "Our Own Movie Queen" and "Miss Ella". Her articles were mostly done from the perspective of a celebrity's wife, and so naturally they are light pieces of fluff meant to build on the Fitzgerald myth.

If asked to describe this book in just one word, I would have to refuse. There is no single word that can do this collection justice.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a wife, August 9, 2009

By 

C. Keller "CAKeller" (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Collected Writings of Zelda Fitzgerald (Paperback)

If all you know about Zelda Fitzgerald is that she was married to F. Scott, you owe it to yourself to read this book. In addition, I recommend Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda as well as Hemingway vs. Fitzgerald: The Rise and Fall of a Literary Friendship. Zelda was not only a writer, but an accomplished artist and dancer as well. Usually remembered only for her troubled marriage (and her acclaimed husband) and her well-documented bout with mental illness, she shows an aptitude for writing in this collection including her only published novel, several short stories, a dozen articles and a number of letters written to her husband over the course of their tumultuous relationship. Perhaps she will never receive the accolades of her infamous husband, but she definitely deserves to be recognized for her own talents.