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''All the Sad Young Men'' is the third collection of
''The New York Times Book Review'' in March, 1926, on ''All the Sad Young Men''
1926 short story collections Short story collections by F. Scott Fitzgerald Charles Scribner's Sons books {{1920s-story-collection-stub
''All the Sad Young Men'' is the third collection of short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
written by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
, published by Scribners
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...
in February 1926.
Composition
Fitzgerald wrote the stories at a time of disillusionment. He was in financial difficulty, he believed his wife Zelda was romantically involved with another man, she had suffered a series of physical illnesses, and his play '' The Vegetable'' had been a failure. The book was dedicated to Ring and Ellis Lardner, who were neighbors at the time the book was published.Contents
The volume contains nine stories: * "The Rich Boy
"The Rich Boy" is a short story by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was included in his 1926 collection ''All the Sad Young Men''. "The Rich Boy" originally appeared in two parts, in the January and February 1926 issues of ''Redbook''. In t ...
"
* " Winter Dreams"
* " The Baby Party"
* "Absolution
Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the pr ...
"
* "Rags Martin-Jones and the Pr-nce of W-les"
* "The Adjuster
''The Adjuster'' is a 1991 Canadian drama film directed by Atom Egoyan. It premiered at the New York Film Festival, and was invited to the Director's Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. It is Egoyan's fourth feature film, and the firs ...
"
* "Hot and Cold Blood"
* "The Sensible Thing""
* "Gretchen's Forty Winks"
As with his other collections, its release was timed to follow the completion of his most recent novel, ''The Great Gatsby
''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 mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...
''. Fitzgerald wrote "Absolution", one of the best-received stories in the collection, as a false start to ''Gatsby.''
Reception
Upon publication—and somewhat belying the notion that Fitzgerald's most famous novel had not been enthusiastically received—''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' wrote, "The publication of this volume of short stories might easily have been an anti-climax after the perfection and success of 'The Great Gatsby' of last Spring. A novel so widely praised — by people whose recognition counts — is stiff competition. It is even something of a problem for a reviewer to find new and different words to properly grace the occasion. It must be said that the collection as a whole is not sustained to the high excellence of 'The Great Gatsby,' but it has stories of fine insight and finished craft."
Ironically, in a letter nine months earlier, Fitzgerald had advised his editor Max Perkins
William Maxwell Evarts "Max" Perkins (September 20, 1884 – June 17, 1947) was an American book editor, best remembered for discovering authors Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Thomas Wolfe.
Early life and e ...
against publicizing the book through the newspaper. "Rather not use advertising appropriation in ''Times''—people who read ''Times Book Review'' won't be interested in me."F. Scott Fitzgerald and Matthew J. Bruccoli, ed., ''A Life in Letters: A New Collection Edited and Annotated by Matthew J. Bruccoli.'' New York: Scribner's, 1995. p. 121.
References
External links
* * *''The New York Times Book Review'' in March, 1926, on ''All the Sad Young Men''
1926 short story collections Short story collections by F. Scott Fitzgerald Charles Scribner's Sons books {{1920s-story-collection-stub