Lot 172: Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) Autograph

Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) Autograph letter written by the great American writer in the year preceding his death (the second year of war in Europe), while he was working at his last, unfinished novel: The Last Tycoon, edited by Edmund Wilson and published in 1941. One-page typed letter, 4to, dated 26 June 1940 and signed 'Scott Fitzg' in pencil. Also enclosed is the original envelope, addressed to Fitzgerald's secretary: 'Isabel Owens 1403 N. Laurel Ave. Hollywood': 'I'm terribly sorry that my letter about Zelda's Scondalabro crossed you, because she does want it. It is a pure concession to an invalid because it will never to be produced again but if you are downtown and within range of the piece I wish you would get it [...] The days at La POIX in 1933 seem comparatively tranquil now. You remember how we used to take time out in the middle of the summer mornings to go swimming in the quarry. The people out here don 't realize yet that there's a war on' . Extraordinary document shedding light on the life of a great contemporary writer and recounting a page of history through his words.