The Great Gatsby turns 100
The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway’s interactions with Jay Gatsby, the mysterious millionaire with an obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Fun Facts about The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby was not the first choice for a title.
During the writing process, these titles were in consideration for the book that would become The Great Gatsby: Among Ash-Heaps and Millionaires; On the Road to West Egg; Under the Red, White, and Blue; ;The High-Bouncing Lover and Gold-Hatted Gatsby
The author received less than $6000 for publishing The Great Gatsby.
What did Fitzgerald earn for penning one of the most cherished books ever? $3993 in advance, and $1981.25 upon publication. Later, he was paid $16,666 for the rights to the film.
While Fitzgerald hoped his novel would sell 75,000 copies in 1925, the first printing sold slightly more than 20,0000 — just enough to repay his publisher.
Jay Gatsby’s lavish mansion was inspired by a couple of real mansions.
The real-life models included Oheka Castle, in Huntington, New York. Even now, over a century after its construction began in 1915, Oheka Castle remains the second-largest private estate in the United States.
Francis Cugat designed the iconic cover of The Great Gatsby
Fitzgerald was so taken with Cugat’s artwork that he rewrote portions of the novel to better include it. Francis Cugat went on to design for the actor Douglas Fairbanks.
The Critics Didn’t Love it
The first review to appear in New York, just two days after publication, was headed F. SCOTT FITZGERALD’S LATEST A DUD. The reviewer for the Brooklyn Eagle claimed she could not find ‘one chemical trace of magic, life, irony, romance or mysticism in all of ‘The Great Gatsby’ and concluded that ‘the boy’ [Fitzgerald] was ‘simply puttering around.’
Best F. Scott Fitzgerald Books to Read
If you enjoyed The Great Gatsby turns 100, you can also read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F Scott Fitzgerald
