The Almost Not Great Gatsby

About this episode

The episode explores the unexpected resurgence of The Great Gatsby after Fitzgerald's death and discusses the factors that contribute to a book becoming a classic.

In 1940, the year of Fitzgerald’s death, there were only 7 copies of The Great Gatsby sold. Fitzgerald complained to both Zelda and Max Perkins that he was a forgotten man and that clearly there was no demand for his book. He was crushed, and died thinking Gatsby was a failure. Then, a year later 155,000 copies were printed…. What happened? We dive in into the strange afterlife of The Great Gatsby, trace Fitzgerald’s feelings about his masterpiece through inscribed copies, and compare it to the fates of other books – Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Fortnight in September – published around the same time. Is a classic destined to be a classic or does it need a healthy dose of luck? As always, email us and let us know what you think at hello@rarebookchat.com Enjoy the episode!

People in this episode

Hosts: Jeremy O'Connor, Michael DiRuggiero

Topics covered

• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Great Gatsby
• literary history
• book sales
• classic literature
• author's legacy

Keywords

• F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Great Gatsby
• literary success
• book sales history
• classic literature
• Zelda Fitzgerald
• Max Perkins

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Great Gatsby, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Fortnight in September

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