April 10, 1925 –
“…So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past…”
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third novel, The Great Gatsby, was published on this date. Several titles were considered before the final one was chosen, including Among Ashheaps and Millionaires, Gold-Hatted Gatsby, The High-Bouncing Lover, On the Road to West Egg, and Fitzgerald’s personal favorite, Trimalchio’s Banquet. The latter was inspired by a character named Trimalchio in the Satyricon. In the end, Fitzgerald and his editor, Max Perkins, settled on the title The Great Gatsby, and it was officially published on this day.
Despite its later fame, the novel was not well-received upon its initial release. In fact, it sold fewer than 25,000 copies during the remaining fifteen years of Fitzgerald’s life, a reality that deeply disappointed the author.
As a result of his struggles with the book’s reception and his own personal challenges, Fitzgerald sank further into a life marked by excessive alcohol consumption and dissipated behavior.
(Once again, I must recommend that if you are in the St. Paul, Minnesota area, you should stop by the Commodore Bar and Restaurant in his honor. Fitzgerald briefly lived at the hotel, which was once located on the site but has since been converted into a condominium. He frequented the hotel’s bar, which is now the restaurant, making it a fitting tribute to the literary giant.)
The Haus of Dcaligari 
