As Ever, This Door Is For You, Mr. Fitzgerald

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425 Madison Avenue, #1001

Never before has a door

inspired me to buy a book.



Never before have I entered an office 

where Scott Fitzgerald had been.

He had been there many times.



I was there only once,

by an act of providence.
 

As Ever, Scott Fitz

Scott Fitzgerald was born
on September 24, 1896.

Today is his 119th birthday.

His only literary agent,
Harold Ober, opened 
this office in 1929.

The letters from Scott
to Harold are virtually all
words of gratitude for money
received and pleas for 
more of the same.





Most of Scott's letters were in the latter category and his only
collateral was Mr. Fitzgerald's literary creativity.

But Scott's literary reputation and output 
for most of the 1930's was negligible.

His living (and family) expenses for that decade 
were just the opposite.

It suffices to say that Harold Ober had the patience 
of a saint and the generosity of a Santa Claus.

He could also see into the future.

Twenty-five thousand copies of Fitzgerald's 
GREAT GATSBY were sold during the author's life time. 

Today,  twenty-five million copies of the book 
have been sold world-wide.

The domestic gross  of the most recent 
GREAT GATSBY film is approximately $150 million.

If it were possible in 2015, on the occasion
of his 119th birthday, for Scott Fitzgerald 
to walk into the office of Harold Ober Associates, 
the gratitude would be exponential but directed at–
not originating from–Scott.

Since the author's literary reputation and financial value
are presently sky-high, the office–without prompting–
would give Mr. Fitzgerald a gazillion dollars.

We are all entitled to dream.

          
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Footnote
The next Fitzgerald page is  here.
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