Earnest Hemingway

The Man Behind The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his Friendship with Ernest Hemingway

by Paul Thomson on Jul 15, 2010

After meeting Ernest Hemingway in 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a letter to his editor at Scribners advising: “I’d look him up right away. He’s the real thing.” Thus began an unlikely friendship between two of the greatest writers in American history. Though complicated, short-lived, and ultimately resentful, the relationship between Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald helped expose Americans to yet another master of the Lost Generation of literature.

At first glance, their friendship might not seem all that unusual. Both were incredibly talented alcoholic writers who happened to bump into each other in Paris during the 1920’s (when it was the cheap place to be, if you can imagine that). In terms of shared traits, however, this is about as far as it goes.

As Hemingway tells it, F. Scott Fitzgerald was a “charming and endearing” but had a reputation as an overeager socialite. On a more awkward note, Fitzgerald also talked way too...Read More >>