In Juan-les-Pins, on the French Riviera, in February, 1926…

 

…novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, 29, is reassured by his editor at Scribner’s, Maxwell Perkins, 41, that there is great hope for his newest book, All the Sad Young Men, a collection of short stories, most of which have been published in the Saturday Evening Post.

Fitzgerald had written to Perkins that he was worried the book wouldn’t sell even 5000 copies. But Perkins responded that he felt the stories were not only commercial, but also literary. One, “Absolution,” was the beginning of what became Scott’s third novel, The Great Gatsby. Published last year, Gatsby has been well received critically, but Fitzgerald is disappointed with the sales. Perkins likes to bring out a short story collection soon after publishing a novel, to capitalize on the author’ popularity.

Original cover, 1926

In a few months, Fitzgerald is able to write to Charles Scribner, 71, the president of the publishing company,

For the first time in over four years, I am no longer in financial debt to you—or rather I won’t be when the money from my short story book becomes due me. But in another sense I shall always be in your debt—for your unfailing kindness and confidence and obligingness to me in all my exigencies during that time. Never once was I reminded of my obligations which were sometime as high at $4000, with no book in sight.

This year, we’ll be telling stories about these groups of ‘such friends,’ before, during and after their times together.

Manager as Muse explores Perkins’ work with Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe and is available on Amazon.

To walk with me and the ‘Such Friends’ through Bloomsbury, download the Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group audio walking tour from VoiceMap. Look for our upcoming walking tour about the Paris ‘such friends.’

In New York City, on the morning of February 11th, 1926…

…Ernest Hemingway, 26, wakes up and makes his decision.

The day before he had met with Horace Liveright, 42, the publisher of his first book, In Our Time. They had had a pleasant discussion, but confirmed that Liveright could not publish Hemingway’s latest novel, The Torrents of Spring.

In fact, Ernest had purposely written Torrents as a vicious parody of the style of his friend, Sherwood Anderson, 49, Liveright’s top novelist.

This morning, after a sleepless night, Hemingway has decided he will meet with Maxwell Perkins, 41, editor at Scribner’s. Their mutual friend, fellow novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, 29, had recommended Hemingway to Scribner’s before they had even met. And Ernest likes the letters he has received from Perkins. He’d written to Scott last year that he preferred Perkins because of his

confidence in Scribner’s and would like to be lined up with you.”

Off to Scribner’s. Time to meet this Perkins fellow…

Scribner’s Building in Manhattan, also seen in the film Birdman

This year, we’ll be telling stories about these groups of ‘such friends,’ before, during and after their times together.
Manager as Muse explores Perkins’ work with Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe and is available in both print and Kindle versions from Amazon.

To walk with me and the ‘Such Friends’ through Bloomsbury, download the Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group audio walking tour from VoiceMap. Look for our upcoming walking tour about the Paris ‘such friends.’