Fitzgerald Story Creates a Stir

Editor's note: The following has been revised from the original version published in the Sept. 16, 2015, issue of PAW:

The “discovery” in Firestone Library of a previously unpublished short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald 1917 made headlines over the summer. The 8,000-word story, called “Temperature,” was rejected for publication in 1939; it offered parallels between the life of a fictional writer in Hollywood with an alcohol problem and a heart condition, and of Fitzgerald himself, who died the following year. Media accounts focused on how Andrew Gulli, managing editor of a literary quarterly called The Strand Magazine, had found the story among Fitzgerald’s papers, which were donated to the University Library in 1950 by Fitzgerald’s daughter, Scottie. Gulli knew the library had particular titles because they are listed online in the finding aid for  Fitzgerald’s papers; the library provided photocopies of manuscripts he requested. Don Skemer, curator of manuscripts in the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, said that if “Temperature” was hidden, “it was hiding in plain sight.” He added that the unpublished short stories are known to Fitzgerald scholars.

For the record:  A version of this article published in the Sept. 16, 2015, issue incorrectly reported the assistance provided by the University Library. Andrew Gulli, managing editor of The Strand Magazine, knew the library had particular titles because they are listed online in the finding aid for Fitzgerald’s papers; the library provided him with photocopies of manuscripts he requested and did not provide a list of unpublished works.