It is often said that great writers best reveal themselves in short fiction. Novels can better conceal lack of structure and style coherence but a short story forces you to fit in the life of an entire novel within the confines of just a few pages. Fitzgerald is, in this regard, a real master of short writing. The ebook we now give you is a great example of his mastery.
It was first published in a volume of short stories called “Tales of the Jazz Age” (1922). “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” is a “sinister fairy tale” that tells the story of a very rich family in possession of a great source of money: a mountain made entirely of diamond. It’s a low-hanging dream for most of us, eager to ignore the twists of fate associated with such a source of unlimited wealth. What happens when you add a love story on this background of wealth and danger?