Saturday, March 14, 2015

The Garden of Allah

This postcard was written from F. Scott Fitzgerald to himself when he was working as a screenwriter in Hollywood. It's from approximately 1937, when Scotty was living at the Garden of Allah Hotel, which was kind of like the Chelsea of 1930's Los Angeles. Lots of famous people lived there, from Sergei Rachmaninoff and Artie Shaw to Harpo Marx and Lauren Bacall.

Around the time Fitzy wrote this, he was working on screenplays, drinking heavily, and recovering from a heart attack. Considering the circumstances, it makes sense that this postcard exists, stamped but never sent:


For a professional writer, his grammar usage could be better. "I have living at?" Nonsense.

Then again, my grasp on English-language grammar has tanked since moving to Spain, so I will stop criticizing this note and instead do something productive, like finish reading Blood Meridian, or perhaps catch up on sleep if I'm feeling particularly ambitious.

2 comments:

  1. Alcohol accounts for plenty of bizarre behavior. F.S.F.had both,in spades.

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