It Happened Here

Fitzgerald Immortalized in Maryland Cemetery

By David Morgan, WIW Intern

F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most important figures in modern American Literature. His name is synonymous with an entire generation, the wild and self-indulgent 1920's which, through a range of works including This Side of Paradise and The Great Gatsby, he helped define.

Fitzgerald is also imprinted on Maryland history. Although he was born in St. Paul, Minn., his father traced a prominent family lineage to Montgomery County, Md. While never considering it home, young Fitzgerald frequently visited the Maryland shores, spending days and nights there that would eventually influence his life and writing. Years later, when the 44-year-old Fitzgerald passed away Dec. 21, 1940, it was to the Maryland shores that he returned.

Fitzgerald was America's literary rebel during the Jazz Age, a label he coined. His first novel, This Side of Paradise, a coming-of-age story mirroring his bourgeois upbringing, catapulted the young writer to fame and placed him among an elite league of wordsmiths that included Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce . This stardom allowed him to live the lifestyle of the rich and famous. His excursions to Paris and other international locales, accompanied by his wife Zelda Sayre on one hand and a martini glass in the other hand, are widely documented. The high living was short-lived. After his second novel, The Great Gatsby, failed to be a success, Fitzgerald settled into writing scripts for Hollywood movies. This did accrue a sizeable income for him but large amounts of debt, alcoholism and his wife's mental instability eventually took a toll on his bank account as well as his health. While working on his fifth novel, The Last Tycoon, in November of 1940, Fitzgerald suffered a heart attack, and a second followed in December.

Ironically, it was after he died that he received the most acclaim. People rediscovered the poorly received The Great Gatsby, a work now considered his masterpiece, and interest was renewed in his previous works as well. Although late in coming, Fitzgerald can now rest with the satisfaction of being one of America's most beloved writers, a shining symbol of the Jazz Age.

Fitzgerald is buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Rockville. A deco-styled parish overlooks the gravesite, its smooth lines and futuristic structure a striking difference from the aging cemetery and a sobering reminder that times have changed since the 1920's. Yet nestled in the family plot with Zelda by his side, Fitzgerald's tombstone has a commanding presence among the others as if to show his importance to a world that has moved on without him. Its inscription from The Great Gatsby reads: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Located within view of the Rockville Metro Station, the grave is frequented by visitors, there to pay homage to this literary mastermind, often adorning the site with cigarette packs and martini glasses similar to those that regularly accompanied Fitzgerald throughout his life.

Rockville is proud to be the final resting place of this extravagant man. At the Peerless Rockville head office, an organization dedicated to preserving the historical integrity of one of Maryland's most prominent cities, visitors are welcome to browse the many articles written about the F. Scott Fitzgerald gravesite and its significance to the community. F. Scott Fitzgerald's Rockville: A Guide to Rockville, Maryland, in the 1920's describes Rockville's thriving Jazz Age, and, although now out of print, it can be copied or even borrowed for a limited time.

Peerless Rockville hosts the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, an annual opportunity for new writers to have their work critiqued by established professionals in specific genres, including poetry, screenwriting and children's literature. The annual announcement of the winner of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Award, a prestigious honor given to some of America's most promising writers, including Joyce Carol Oates and John Updike, is a conference highlight. And there is also the annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Short Story Contest for adults and students.

For more information regarding Peerless Rockville and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, please visit www.peerlessrockville.org or call (301) 762-0096.

St. Mary's Cemetery is located at 600 Veirs Mill Rd, Rockville, Md. The cemetery is open between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.