The Strand Publishes Lost F. Scott Fitzgerald Short Story

Posted on July 31, 2015

Andrew F. Gulli has done it again. The managing editor of The Strand is a real genius at finding lost manuscripts by famous authors. He's tracked down a lost John Steinbeck story called "With Your Wings" and uncovered a never before seen Tennessee Williams story called 'Crazy Night." This time, he's tracked down a long lost short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Gulli discovered the story, entitled "Temperature," while browsing through the treasures housed in the rare books and manuscript archive at Princeton University, Gulli's alma mater. Time reports that the story was written in July, 1939, when Fitzgerald was living in Los Angeles and struggling to revive his fiction career. He had a contract with MGM to write screenplays, but it had come to an end. He was drinking heavily and had been hospitalized twice for alcoholism. He had also been diagnosed with heart disease. Fitzgerald the following December at the age of 44 after suffering a heart attack.

The 8,000 page story is about Emmet Monsen, a handsome 31 year old writer who has just been diagnosed with heart disease. The story is darkly comedic as Monsen's personal and professional life deteriorate. The story shows Fitzgerald's skill at satire. He hated Hollywood, but had a fascination with it. In the story, he skewers social norms, the medical profession and -- of course -- the insincerity of Tinseltown.

The story is available in the Summer issue of The Strand, which is available now in bookstores. It can also be ordered online at The Strand.