The Gatsby Affair

The romance between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre has been celebrated as one of the greatest of the 20th century. From the beginning, their relationship was a tumultuous one, in which the couples excesses were as widely known as their passion for each other. Despite their love, both Scott and Zelda engaged in flirtations that threatened to tear the couple apart. But none had a more profound impact on the twoand on Scotts writingas the liaison between Zelda and a French aviator, Edouard Jozan. Though other biographies have written of Jozan as one of Scotts romantic rivals, accounts of the pilots effect on the couple have been superficial at best. In The Gatsby Affair: Scott, Zelda, and the Betrayal That Shaped an American Classic, Kendall Taylor examines the dalliance between the southern belle and the French pilot from a fresh perspective. Drawing on conversations and correspondence with Jozans daughter, as well as materials from the Jozan family archives, Taylor sheds new light on this romantic triangle. More than just a casual fling, Zeldas tryst with Edouard affected Scott as much as it did his wifeand ultimately influenced the authors most famous creation, Jay Gatsby. Were it not for Zeldas affair with the pilot, Scotts novel might be less about betrayal and more about lost illusions. Exploring the private motives of these public figures, Taylor offers new explanations for their behavior. In addition to the love triangle that included Jozan, Taylor also delves into an earlier event in Zeldas lifea sexual assault she suffered as a teenagerone that affected her future relationships. Both a literary study and a probing look at an iconic couples psychological makeup, The Gatsby Affair offers readers a bold interpretation of how one of Americas greatest novels was influenced.