Zelda Fitzgerald: Still A Literary Fascination

Just when you thought I was done yammering about The Great Gatsby, a new book related to F. Scott Fitzgerald popped up onto my radar.

Anyone who knows me knows that if left to my own devices I like to nerd out on my roof deck and read all afternoon. At the very least I like to turn off all my devices at 9:00 p.m. and read until I get sleepy. I actually have more vivid dreams when I do this.

Today I learned about a novel that just came out called Call Me Zelda. When Zelda Fitzgerald is committed to a Baltimore psychiatric clinic in 1932, in her struggle to forge an identity separate from F.Scott, she finds a sympathetic friend in her nurse, Anna Howard. Anna is increasingly drawn into the Fitzgeralds’ tumultuous relationship. As she learns about Zelda’s confessions, written in a secret memoir meant only for her, Anna begins to wonder which Fitzgerald is the true genius.

As a sucker for any kind of smart chick lit, this has been moved to the top of my reading list.

Other Zelda/F.Scott books that came out in the last few months. Study up, kids.

Z. A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerlad	Beautiful Fools

Gatsby Girls	The Romantic Egoists

I should note that just because the name "Zelda" is back on the cultural radar it does not mean that hipster, Brooklyn parents are allowed to use it to name their daughters. The name peaked in the 1910s and should be left there.

He Who Dies With The Most Fonts, Wins *

Are you a nerd for typography? No shame in that game. This video explains the history of it all, dating back to our main man, Gutenberg.


* The title of this post was a sign that hung in the office of one of design professors in college. My design skills may not always be at the level of an Art Director, but I know enough about Gestalt principles and dominant elements to make sure things looks good. Thanks, Syracuse!

Jazz Age Nerd

True nerds, such as myself, are re-reading The Great Gatsby before the movie comes out. This is partly to refresh my memory, which has faded since I last read it in high school. Also, I am really looking forward to beginning sentences with the phrase, "It was good, but I feel that Baz Luhrmann didn't quite capture...."

Any overachiever worth their salt, however, knows that one text is never enough. There has to be auxiliary reading to add a conceptual framework. (My degree from Columbia is really rearing it's head here...)

Enter Flapper, a book that came out in 2007 and is a cultural history of the flapper. It's required reading for jazz age aficionados such as myself. It also serves as an ad hoc biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, who at one point was considered the leading authority on the flapper movement, simply because he was the only one writing about them. It's a fun book, but hardly light reading. Be prepared to learn quite a bit about everything from speakeasies to the birth of The New Yorker magazine.




In terms of new releases, Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, chronicles the Lady Fitzgerald's life with F. Scott. It came out in March.

Happy Pi Day!

Definitely one of the best Pi Day cartoons I've seen.

Source: sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net via June on Pinterest

Good Advice For All

Seen on a loose leaf binder.