The Gatsby Affair: Scott, Zelda, and the Betrayal That Shaped an American Classic

A literary biography that upends everything readers have thought about the Fitzgeralds’ legendary romance and exposes Zelda’s reckless affair with the French aviator who became Scott’s model for Jay Gatsby, and for whom she was prepared to leave her marriage.

There was before Edouard Jozan and after, simple as that. The affair became that singular event for the Fitzgeralds, a decisive and determining experience continually revisited. It played a pivotal role in Zelda’s two novels, and but for it, The Great Gatsby would be more about lost illusions than adultery, and Jay Gatsby, a different character.

Both a literary study and probing look at an iconic couple’s psychological makeup, The Gatsby Affair explores this previously untold story and offers readers a bold new interpretation about how one of America’s greatest novels became profoundly influenced. 

It also examines Scott’s continual plagiarism of Zelda’s writing, from the early use of her diaries for his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to his last completed work, Tender Is the Night, in which, along with personal details of her breakdown, he used entire sections of letters she had sent from Prangins sanitarium. Since he was paying the bills, he considered Zelda’s writing his domain, and the brilliance of her life rests on how much she was able to accomplish, despite the formidable odds of being Scott Fitzgerald’s wife. 

When Edouard Jozan encountered Zelda Fitzgerald on the beach at San Raphael in the summer of 1924, he could never have known how their lives would be changed forever. He was prepared to love and she a willing accomplice. Her affair with the Frenchman set into motion a series of catastrophic circumstances that triggered a profound depression and culminated in Zelda’s first suicide attempt. By the time she questioned how much a heart can hold, she had ample time to experience its pain. She had lived by her own rules in America, but by doing so in France, what befell her was so damaging, it could not be dispelled by all the confidence that had characterized her youth. 
What began as a harmless interlude set into motion a series of tectonic consequences that became a turning point in the Fitzgeralds’ marriage. From then on, Scott set out to neutralize Zelda so there would be no further indiscretions. With alarming haste, she got reduced to a psychiatric label which condemned her to a life in asylums, where she was traumatized with interventions that worsened preexisting conditions and precipitated new ones.He never forgave her for the affair, and she never forgave him for institutionalizing her. They each had something to hold against each other for the rest of their lives. 

 Whenever an artist is more appreciated by fellow artist than by the critics or general public, it is often a signal that his or her work embodies special qualities. This is certainly the case with Phillip Evergood. Highly respected, indeed revered by other artists of his generation, Evergood was always viewed as an especially talented artist by his contemporaries, but has nonetheless remained on the periphery of recognition and acclaim. The intent of this book is to remedy this lack of critical attention. Kendall Taylor's well-documented and thorough study encourages readers and viewers alike to look again at the work of this highly individual and creative artist.