Zelda Fitzgerald (née Sayre; July 24, 1900 – March 10, 1948) was an American novelist, painter, and socialite, famously known as the wife and muse of author F. Scott Fitzgerald and an icon of the Jazz Age.
Born into a prominent Southern family in Montgomery, Alabama, Zelda was known for her beauty, vivacity, and rebellious spirit from a young age. She challenged societal norms with her spirited behavior, becoming a local celebrity.
In 1920, she married the aspiring writer F. Scott Fitzgerald shortly after the success of his debut novel, This Side of Paradise. Their highly publicized and often tumultuous marriage made them overnight celebrities and epitomized the decadent, free-wheeling lifestyle of the Jazz Age. Zelda’s personality and experiences heavily influenced many of the female characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novels, including The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night, solidifying her image as the “first American flapper.”
While often seen as her husband’s muse, Zelda was a talented artist in her own right. She pursued various creative outlets. She wrote articles and short stories for magazines and published a semi-autobiographical novel, Save Me the Waltz (1932), which offered a contrasting perspective to her husband’s portrayal of their life.
Zelda created numerous paintings, including cityscapes, illustrations for fairy tales, and portraits. Her work has gained more recognition posthumously. She became intensely dedicated to ballet in her late twenties, practicing for hours a day, though she ultimately realized she started too late for a professional career.
Zelda experienced significant mental health issues, with her first major breakdown occurring in 1930. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia, though later experts have suggested she may have suffered from bipolar disorder. She spent many of her later years in and out of psychiatric clinics.
Zelda Fitzgerald died tragically in a fire at Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1948, where she was a patient.
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