As Ever, Yours
F Scott Fitzgerald
P.S. If Struthers Burt2 comes over give me his address.
TO: Edmund Wilson
Summer 1924
ALS, 3 pp. Yale University
Villa Marie, Valescure, St Raphael France
Dear Bunny:
The above will tell you where we are as you proclaim yourself unable to find it on the map. We enjoyed your letter enormously, collossally, stupendously. It was epochal, acrocryptical, categorical. I have begun life anew since getting it and Zelda has gone into a nunnery on the Pelleponesus.
Yes, John seemed to us a beaten man—with his tiny frail mustache—but perhaps only morally. Whether or not he still echoes the opinions of others I don’t know—to me he said nothing at all. In fact I remember not a line (I was drunk + voluble myself though).
The news about the play is grand + the ballet too. I gather from your letter that O’Niell + Mary had a great success.1 But you are wrong about Ring’s book. My title was the best possible. You are always wrong—but always with the most correct possible reasons. (This statement is merely acrocrytical, hypothetical, diabolical, metaphorical)
You speak of John’s wife. I didn’t see her—but stay there was a woman there, but what she said + did + looked like I can not tell. Is she an elderly, gross woman with hair growing in her ears and and a red porous forehead? If so I remember her. Or stay—there was a rumor that he had married an Ethiope and took her to bleach beside the ffjiords. Or was that John, Or Eb Gaines. . . . .
I had a short curious note from the latter yesterday, calling me to account for my Mercury Story.2 At first I couldn’t understand this communication after seven blessedly silent years—behold: he was a catholic. I had broken his heart.
This is a dumb letter but I have just been reading the advertisements of whore-houses in the French magazines. I seethe with passion for a “bains-massage” with volupté oriental delights (tout nu) in a Hotel Particular or else I long to go with a young man (intell. bon famile. affecteux) for a paid amorous week end to the coast of Guine. Deep calling to deep. I will give you now the Fitzg touch without which this letter would fail to conform to your conception of my character;
Sinclair Lewis sold his new novel to The Designer for $50,000 (950,000.00 francs) + I never did like that fellow. (I do really).
My book is wonderful, so is the air + the sea. I have got my health back—I no longer cough and itch and roll from one side of the bed to the other all night and have a hollow ache in my stomach after two cups of black coffee. I really worked hard as hell last winter—but it was all trash and it nearly broke my heart as well as my iron constitution.
Write me of all data, gossip, event, accident, scandal, sensation, deterioration, new reputation,—and of yourself.
Our Love
Scott
TO: Ludlow Fowler1
August 1924
ALS, 2 pp. Princeton University
Villa Marie, Valescure
St Raphael, France
Dear Lud: I knew there wasn’t a chance of seeing you when your trip was so short but I wrote a note to Sap2 asking him to drop in on us if he stayed over and got down this far. I sent it care of Eleanor Maurice, American Express. I wonder if he ever got it.
My novel is finished and I’m doing the last revision of it. We’ve had a quiet summer and are moving on in the fall either to Paris or Italy. I’m going to write another play and I hope it’ll be less disastrous than the last.
The real purpose of this letter is sordid + material is this. The field glasses you gave me were out of whack—they showed two ships instead of one and made the Olympic look as if it had 8 smokestacks which can’t be true according to the papers.
So I’m going to ask you to send mine to Ring Lardner, Steamship Paris, sailing Sept. 10th + he’ll bring them to me. And will you wrap a newspaper around them so the Captain won’t appropriate them for himself. About yours I’ll do just as you say—send them home by somebody or have them fixed in Paris and leave them at some definate place there so you can call for them on your annual jaunt last summer.
I remember our last conversation and it makes me sad. I feel old too, this summer—I have ever since the failure of my play a year ago. Thats the whole burden of this novel—the loss of those illusions that give such color to the world so that you don’t care whether things are true or false as long as they partake of the magical glory.
We both send our best love to you, Lud.
Scott
PS. Don’t forget the glasses—I’m awfully anxious to get them. I’m sorry I’ve been such a bother about it.
TO: Maxwell Perkins
After August 8, 1924
ALS, 1 p. Princeton University
Villa Marie
Valescure, St Raphael
France.
Dear Max:
Thanks for your long + most interesting letter. I wrote you yesterday so this is just a note. I feel like saying “I told you so” about the BobbsMerril + Doran books of Rings but I know that it is mostly Bobbs-Merrils fault and a good deal Ring’s.1 The ad was great—especially the Barrie. I imagine that Mr. Scribner was pleased—and a little surprised. Poor Ring—its discouraging that he keeps on drinking—how bored with life the man must be. I certainly think his collection for 1925 should include all fantasies. Certain marvellous syndicate articles such as the “fur coat + the worlds series” + the “celebrities day-book” should be saved for the “My Life and Loves” volume.2 Do read Seldes3 on Ring in “The Seven Lively Arts.” Be sure to. I’ll really pay you to do it before making the selections.
As Ever
Scott
TO: Maxwell Perkins
c. August 27, 1924
ALS, 2 pp. Princeton University
Villa Marie, Valescure
St Raphael, France
Dear Max:
The novel will be done next week. That doesn’t mean however that it’ll reach America before October 1st. as Zelda + I are contemplating a careful revision after a weeks complete rest.
The clippings have never arrived.
Seldes has been with me and he thinks “For the Grimalkins” is a wonderful title for Rings book. Also I’ve got great ideas about “My Life and Loves” which I’ll tell Ring when comes over in September.
How many copies has his short stories sold?
Your bookkeeper never did send me my royalty report for Aug 1st.
For Christs sake don’t give anyone that jacket you’re saving for me. I’ve written it into the book.4
I think my novel is about the best American novel ever written. It is rough stuff in places, runs only to about 50,000 words, and I hope you won’t shy at it
Its been a fair summer. I’ve been unhappy but my work hasn’t suffered from it. I am grown at last.
What books are being talked about? I don’t mean best sellers. Hergeshiemers novel1 in the Post seems vile to me.
I hope you’re reading Gertrude Stiens novel2 in The Transatlantic Review.
Raymond Radiguets last book (he is the young man who wrote “Le deable au Corps” at sixteen [untranslatable]) is a great hit here. He wrote it at 18. Its called “Le Bal de Compte Orgel” + though I’m only half through it I’d get an opinion on it if I were you. Its cosmopolitan rather than French and my instinct tells me that in a good translation it might make an enormous hit in America where everyone is yearning for Paris. Do look it up + get at least one opinion of it. The preface is by the da-dist Jean Cocteau but the book is not da-da at all.
Did you get hold of Rings other books?
We’re liable to leave here by Oct 1st so after the 15th of Sept I wish you’d send everything care of Guarantee Trust Co. Paris
Please ask the bookstore, if you have time, to send me Havelock Ellis “Dance of Life” + charge to my account
1 asked Struthers Burt to dinner but his baby was sick.
Be sure and answer every question, Max.
I miss seeing you like th
e devil.
Scott
TO: Hazel McCormack3
September 1924
ALS, 2 pp. Princeton University
Villa Marie, Valescure
St Raphael, France
Dear Patsy:
We’ve been here on the Medeteraenean since May and my novel is finished at last. The stories you objected to were nessessary—they arose from a complicated situation between the Post, Hearsts and me. Besides, some of them—“Absolution” (in the Mercury) “The Baby Party” (in Hearsts) are awfully good. So were “Rags Martin-Jones” and “The Sensible Thing” before two editors cut them to pieces. The Post stuff was pretty raw, I’ll admit.
My novel is wonderful. I’ve read to everyone within hearing (Seldes [the critic] Donald Stuart, Maxwell Struthers Burt, John Dos Passos + other literary gents who have done time with us and I hope it’ll be out in the Spring. We are waiting for the Ring Lardners to take a jaunt through Spain, largely so we can see a bullfight. Then I think we’ll spend the winter in Sorrento (where Shelley wrote the “West Wind” + “Lines written in dejection”); and Spring in Paris and perhaps next summer.
“In Granchester—in Grantchester”1
(By all means read The Life of Shelley, or rather, Ariel if the English translation is good. I hear there is one. You’ll love it.) I went to school with Cyril Hume2—I remember him as a little prig, son of the headmaster. But he’s turned out to be a nice fellow + I liked his book which he sent me—all except the rotten passages of polyphonic prose.
Zelda sends her very best + thanks you for the sweet compliment.
Thine F Scott Fitzgerald
Arn’t you the big swell with the typewriter!
TO: Harold Ober
ALS, 1 p. Lilly Library
Villa Marie, Valescure
St Raphael, France
Sept 20th, 1924
Dear Mr. Ober:
The situation is as follows. I have finished my novel and will send it to you within 10 days or two weeks. It may or may not serialize—certainly it’d never get in the Post. Artisticly its head + shoulders over everything I’ve done. When I send it I’ll send a letter about terms ect.
I’m about broke and as soon as the novel gets off I will write a story immediately, either for the Post or for Wheeler3 who has been dunning me for one violently. That story will be followed within a month by two more. The first one should reach you by October 20th or a little over two weeks after you recieve this letter—and as you have no doubt already guessed I’m going to ask you for an advance on it.
Now as I understand it I’m about $90.00 in your debt—$180.00 advanced on the Screenland article that got in too late as against $90 or so due me from the English rights of the “3d casket.” Here’s what I fondly hope you can do:
deposit $600.00 for me on Oct 5th
” 800.00 for me on Reciept of the Story which will be about the 20th of the month. However I will write you again about the 2nd deposit when I mail the story. If this is inconvenient please drop me a cable.
Considering the fact that of the eleven stories I’ve written this year 4 of the 7 that have been published were run 1st in their issues I think I’ve had hard luck with the movies. I must try some love stories with more action this time. I’m going to try to write three that’ll do for Famous-Players1 as well as for the Post. We are leaving for Rome about the 1st of November to spend the winter.
Sincerely
F Scott Fitzgerald
TO: Maxwell Perkins
c. October 10, 1924
ALS, 2 pp. Princeton University
Villa Marie,
Valescure
St Raphael, France
Dear Max:
The royalty was better than I’d expected. This is to tell you about a young man named Ernest Hemmingway, who lives in Paris, (an American) writes for the transatlantic Review + has a brilliant future. Ezra Pount published a a collection of his short pieces in Paris, at some place like the Egotist Press.2 I havn’t it hear now but its remarkable + I’d look him up right away. He’s the real thing.
My novel goes to you with a long letter within five days. Ring arrives in a week. This is just a hurried scrawl as I’m working like a dog. I thought Stalling’s book3 was disappointingly rotten. It takes a genius to whine appealingly. Have tried to see Struthers Burt but he’s been on the move. More later.
Scott
P.S. Important. What chance has a smart young frenchman with an intimate knowledge of French literature in the bookselling business in New York. Is a clerk paid much and is there any opening for one specializing in French literature? Do tell me as there’s a young friend of mine here just out of the army who is anxious to know
Sincerely
Scott
TO: Harold Ober
ALS, 2 pp. Lilly Library
St. Raphael, Oct 25th
(After Nov. 3d, Care of the
American Express Co.
Rome Italy)
Dear Mr. Ober:
I am sending you today under separate cover the manuscript of my new novel The Great Gatsby for serialization. Whether it will serialize you will be a better judge than I. There is some pretty frank stuff in it and I wouldn’t want it to be chopped as Hovey chopped the Beautiful + Damned. Now here are my ideas:
(1.) I think the best bet by all odds is Liberty. It is a love story and it is sensational. Also it is only 50,000 words long which would give them ten installments of 5000 words each, just what they’re looking for. And moreover if they started it by February 1st it could be over in time for spring publication. I havn’t had a book for almost three years now and I want Scribners to bring this out in April. I wish you would specify to John Wheeler that it must be run through by then.
(2.) Of course Ray Long1 will have to have first look at it according to our contract of 1923. But I don’t want him to have it (small chance of his wanting it) because in his magazines it would drag on forever + book publication would be postponed. So I’d like to ask him $25,000 for it—a prohibitive price. But it wouldn’t be worth my while to give it to him for less. For Liberty I would take $15,000 + I’m against asking more because of a peculiar situation between John + me. He told me he’d never bargain for a thing of mine again—he’d take it at the price offered or refuse it. Ring Lardner told him I was annoyed at him—anyhow its a sort of personal question as you see. So I don’t think I’d want to ask him more than $15,000. When I was getting $900 a story I got $7000 or a serial, so now that I’m getting $1750, $15000 for a serial seems a fair price. Especially as its very short.
(3.) The Post I don’t want to offer it to. Its not their kind of thing + I don’t want to have it in there anyhow as it kills the book sale at one blow. So that’s out.
(4.) In fact I think Liberty is far and away the best bet—I don’t see who else could squeeze it in before April. The third chapter bars it from the womens magazines and that leaves nothing except the Red Book which would drag it out till Fall.
(5.) I’ve sent Scribners their copy. When you get a definate decision from Hearsts and Jack Wheeler will you phone Max Perkins and tell him as he’ll be anxious to know and letters take so long. Also will you cable me.
(6.) Needless to say whether it serializes or not I will refer any and all moving picture bids on the book to you and will tell Scribners to let you know about any moving picture bids that come through them. Of course this is looking pretty far ahead.
(7.) In any case I would much appreciate your own frank opinion of the novel.
(8.) My story is now at the typist. It should reach you within the week.
As Ever
F Scott Fitzgerald
TO: Maxwell Perkins
ALS, 2 pp. Princeton University
October 27th, 1924
Villa Marie, Valescure
St. Raphael, France
(After Nov. 3d Care of
American Express Co, Rome Italy)
Dear Max:
Under separate cover I’m sending you
my third novel:
The Great Gatsby
(I think that at last I’ve done something really my own), but how good “my own” is remains to be seen.
I should suggest the following contract.
15% up to 50,000
20% after 50,000
The book is only a little over fifty thousand words long but I believe, as you know, that Whitney Darrow has the wrong psychology about prices (and about what class constitute the bookbuying public now that the lowbrows go to the movies) and I’m anxious to charge two dollars for it and have it a full size book.
Of course I want the binding to be absolutely uniform with my other books—the stamping too—and the jacket we discussed before. This time I don’t want any signed blurbs on the jacket—not Mencken’s or Lewis’ or Howard’s1 or anyone’s. I’m tired of being the author of This Side of Paradise and I want to start over.
About serialization. I am bound under contract to show it to Hearsts but I am asking a prohibitive price, Long hates me and its not a very serialized book. If they should take it—they won’t—it would put of publication in the fall. Otherwise you can publish it in the spring. When Hearst turns it down I’m going to offer it to Liberty for $15,000 on condition that they’ll publish it in ten weekly installments before April 15th. If they don’t want it I shan’t serialize. I am absolutely positive Long won’t want it.
I have an alternative title:
Gold-hatted Gatsby
After you’ve read the book let me know what you think about the title. Naturally I won’t get a nights sleep until I hear from you but do tell me the absolute truth, your first impression of the book + tell me anything that bothers you in it.
As Ever
Scott
I’d rather you wouldn’t call Reynolds as he might try to act as my agent. Would you send me the N.Y. World with accounts of Harvard-Princeton and Yale-Princeton games?
TO: Maxwell Perkins
c. November 7, 1924
ALS, 1 p. Princeton University
Hotel Continental, St. Raphael, Sun.
(Leaving Tuesday)
Dear Max:
By now you’ve recieved the novel. There are things in it I’m not satisfied with in the middle of the book—Chapters 6 + 7. And I may write in a complete new scene in proof. I hope you got my telegram.
A Life in Letters Page 9