Zelda Fitzgerald was many things: a novelist, a painter, a dancer, a socialite, and the woman who lit the fuse behind some of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most iconic work. While often remembered as the troubled wife of the author of The Great Gatsby, Zelda’s impact on the novel, and on literary culture, goes beyond. In fact, The Great Gatsby may not exist without her.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1900, Zelda Sayre grew up a quintessential Southern belle. The daughter of a prominent judge, she was known for her beauty, wit, and rebellious streak. She met F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1918 while he was stationed near her hometown, but initially rejected his proposal due to his lack of financial stability. Only after the success of This Side of Paradise did she agree to marry him—paralleling Daisy Buchanan’s decision to marry Tom Buchanan instead of waiting for Gatsby.
Zelda and Scott were the poster couple of the Jazz Age. They partied with celebrities, traveled through Europe, and lived large, until things changed. Underneath the glamour was a volatile marriage strained by jealousy and alcoholism. The Fitzgeralds’ tumultuous relationship fed directly into Scott’s writing. As their lives grew more chaotic, his novels became darker and more cynical.
Though long overshadowed by her husband, Zelda was a writer in her own right. Her novel Save Me the Waltz (1932) is a semi-autobiographical exploration of her own experiences, particularly her pursuit of ballet and her complex marriage. She wrote the novel during a stay in a mental hospital, Scott was furious she had used their shared life as material, accusing her of stealing ideas meant for his own book, Tender Is the Night.
Zelda also contributed short stories, essays, and witty commentary to magazines. In a 1925 cookbook, Favorite Recipes of Famous Women, she submitted a faux breakfast recipe full of dry humor and self-awareness: “See if there is any bacon, and if there is, ask the cook which pan to fry it in… Serve preferably on china plates, though gold or wood will do if handy.” She was no domestic goddess, but she was clever, biting, and unafraid to poke fun at traditional expectations of womanhood.
While living abroad, Zelda often missed the comfort of home. Southern staples like peaches and biscuits reminded her of her roots. She reportedly preferred plain biscuits with peach preserves over, at the time, fancy fare like cheese biscuits. For someone often painted as glittering and unreachable, Zelda had a simple side too.
In recent years, Zelda Fitzgerald has been reclaimed as more than just a muse or tragic figure. Scholars and readers alike are, thankfully, beginning to recognize her contributions to literature and the way her life shaped American cultural memory.
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