Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Rev) (Paperback)

~ (Editor) "F. Scott Fitzgerald, an unemployed screenwriter, spent 21 December 1940 with his companion, Hollywood columnist Sheilah Graham, at 1443 North Hayworth Avenue in Hollywood..." (more)
Key Phrases: first periodical appearance, sad young men, emotional bankruptcy, New York, Scott Fitzgerald, Bruccoli Collection (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Epic indeed, this is the definitive biography of Fitzgerald, plain and simple. There's no reason to own another. (LJ 10/1/02)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"I fully expect that this will be the indispensable biography of a very great American writer...." -- James Dickey

"Impeccably researched... both comphrensive and judicious...Bruccoli brings Fitzgerald vividily alive." -- Newsweek

"Indispensable and definitive." -- The Times Literary Supplement

"Indispensable and definitive." -- The Times Literary Supplement

"It is difficult to imagine any work on Fitzgerald and his literary product that will supplant this one." -- The New Yorker

"It is difficult to imagine any work on Fitzgerald and his literary product that will supplant this one."- -- The New Yorker

"This masterpiece contains exactly what we need to know about this dazzling figure." -- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 696 pages
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press; Rev edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570034559
• ISBN-13: 978-1570034558
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #76,839 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent biography, May 23, 2004

By	Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

I've admired Fitzgerald all my life and regard his work as singularly underrated as time goes on. He was a brilliant and witty writer who could turn a phrase as well as any American author of the 20th century. This biography is the best I've ever read on Fitzgerald. It's particularly strong in the depiction of his gaudy, booze-soaked life with Zelda, especially when they were ex-pats living in France. Bruccoli really draws the reader in with deft descriptions of their marital rows, woes, break-ups and innumerable reconcilations. I was happy to see that their daughter, Scottie, was also illuminated so brilliantly.

The material on Sheila Graham, Scott's lover in Hollywood, was also intriguing. Graham's own book about Scott is a great read, but the author brings out elements to the story which Graham omitted. I was genuinely sad when Scott dies and the narrative concludes. The debauchery, booze and high times of the Flapper era are all here. This is a highly recommended, beautifully tribute to one of the great writers of the past 100 years.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and honest - excellent!, June 20, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Hardcover)

From the preeminent Fitzgerald scholar Matthew Bruccoli, this book's remarkable thoroghness and honesty is refreshing. Bruccoli gives the oft misunderstood Fitzgerald a human, albeit, reverent study, exploring beyond the overemphasized alcoholism into the realms of insecurity and sensitivity that had an indelible effect on Fitzgerald's work. The book reads well, without the burden of overly scholarly analysis, making it suitable reading either for doctoral study or simply for a summer beach day.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Kind of Wonderful, July 12, 2006

By	Fitzgerald Fan (Royal Oak, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I am an absolute diehard fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, both his life and his literature. So, I knew when I purchased this book I was bound to scrutinize its every nook and cranny. Well, my scrutiny proved to be a wasted effort. Without question, Matthew Bruccoli is the number one Fitzgerald scholar in the country, and after reading this biography, it is impossible to question why.
Bruccoli covers every aspect of Fitzgerald's life and includes several bits of correspondence to really give readers a look inside Fitzgerald's thinking. --Perhaps my favorite thing about the book is that it does not sentimentalize the author (which I myself have a habit of doing). Fitzgerald is spelled out here in all his glory, yet, we also get to see his unflattering side...paranoia, arrogance, unharnessed alcoholism, and downright neurosis.
F Scott Fitzgerald was a brilliant man whose life became legend. It is my humble opinion that Bruccoli has written the most thorough and best possible biography. Simply put, the read is fascinating. It might be 600 pages, but you will fly through it. It is "never dry" (like Fitzgerald :)) and always entertaining. For Fitzgerald fanatics like myself, this book is a must, but I am convinced that anyone who takes to "human interest" stories would find themselves engulfed in its pages.
Also recommended: "The Romantic Egoists"...a scrapbook collection put together concerning the lives of the Fitzgeralds. It is packed with pictures and is a wonderful companion to the biography. It was also published by Bruccoli.