First published in 1920, This Side of Paradise proved to be a best-selling novel in Fitzgerald’s own lifetime. The book follows the early life and education of Amory Blaine and is, in fact, a thinly disguised account of Fitzgerald’s own experience as an undergraduate at Princeton and as an aspiring writer. Brilliantly original in its experimental narrative, it comprises a series of contrasting styles and structures.

The novel formed the launchpad for Fitzgerald’s career as a novelist and was received with enthusiasm on its publication, with the Chicago Daily News titling its review ‘Whew! How That Boy Can Write!’