Balancing Art and Commerce: F. Scott Fitzgerald as a Professional Author

FAIN: FB-56768-13

James L. W. West III
Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA 16802-1503)

I seek an NEH Fellowship to write a monograph in Book History called F. Scott Fitzgerald, Professional Author. The book is under contract to Harvard University Press. It will be the first book-length study of Fitzgerald as a working writer. I want to bring Fitzgerald as a professional to the fore, examining his career both during his lifetime and after his death. I will use the files of his publisher (Scribner's) and his literary agent (Harold Ober) to underpin this investigation. These files are at Princeton University Library, on open access, along with FSF's own papers. This will be a scholarly monograph of approximately 80,000 words. My aim is to submit the MS to Harvard in August 2014 for publication in the fall of 2015.

Associated Products

Business is Good: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Professional Writer (Book)
Title: Business is Good: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Professional Writer
Author: James L. W. West III
Abstract: Widely regarded as one of America’s great authors, F. Scott Fitzgerald led a life of drama and extravagance that often overshadowed his writing career. This book refocuses attention on how Fitzgerald viewed and approached the business of writing. Fitzgerald scholar James L. W. West III explores the writer’s professional life through personal letters, manuscripts, his business ledger, editions of his novels, and even a “seven-year plan.” In assessing these diverse materials, West reveals fascinating details about what led Fitzgerald to follow authorship as a calling, why he took on certain projects, how he managed his finances, and what influenced his writing style. Connecting Fitzgerald’s career to his literary texts, West also provides new information on the development and publication history of some of Fitzgerald’s most important works, such as The Great Gatsby and Jacob’s Ladder. Throughout, West pays close attention to the delicate balance in Fitzgerald’s career between money and literary respectability, commerce and art. A keen, engaging, and intimate look at Fitzgerald’s day-to-day work of writing for a living, Business Is Good is a must-have for anyone who wants a better understanding of this American literary giant.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09487-8.html
Publisher: The Pennsylvania State University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 978-0-271-0948
Copy sent to NEH?: No

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