The Cambridge Edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's third collection of short stories (originally published in 1926) contains eleven additional short stories, all written within the same time period as the original collection. The editor, James L.W. West III, moreover, presents the original, uncensored versions of stories toned down by magazines like The Saturday Evening Post for their mainstream readers.
Though written at a time of emotional, marital and financial troubles, this is by far the most accomplished and adult short story collection Fitzgerald had yet written. There's a broad range of subject matter and scenarios in the book, but a connective, thematic throughline of middle-aged, married, adult concerns, with a clarity of objectivity that comes from lived experience impossible in his earliest works - making the collection a joy to read from beginning to end.
If you should decide to read All the Sad Young Men, I suggest this edition. It includes historical, explanatory notes, illustrations of historical events stories allude to, and detailed listings of changes made for magazine publication.
No comments:
Post a Comment