The Beautiful and the Damned is Fitzgerald’s character study of American Eastern elites and the insecurities underpinning the courtship and marriage of his protagonists Anthony and Gloria. Drawing upon his own trouble marriage to Zelda Sayres, Fitzgerald paints a picture of the realities and hardships of a relationship where the two members tend towards selfishness and alcoholism. Published in 1922, it was Fitzgerald’s second novel and predecessor to The Great Gatsby.
About the author
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was an American novelist and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. His literature mainly focused on the Jazz Age in the 1920s and The Lost Generation. Best known for his legendary title The Great Gatsby, his other notable works include This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night, and the short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age.