In a few short weeks, F. Scott Fitzgerald fans from all over will descend upon his hometown – our beloved Saint Paul – to learn, share, and be inspired by the work and life of this celebrated author. One of the many features of the 14th International F. Scott Fitzgerald Society Conference is a rare photo exhibit that provides a glimpse into Fitzgerald’s life with his family and friends, including a number of early photos from his days in Minnesota.
Stu Wilson is lead consultant for The Friends’ consulting group Library Strategies and president of Fitzgerald in Saint Paul, the organization hosting the conference. Stu sat down with us recently to share more about the exhibit and why he is so passionate about Fitzgerald.
When did you first become interested in F. Scott Fitzgerald?
I’ve appreciated his work since college, but until moving to Saint Paul, I honestly preferred John Steinbeck and Sinclair Lewis. I began to pay more attention to Fitzgerald when I moved here in 1996. In 2000, The Friends was doing doing a lot of community events during the major renovation of Central Library. We designated Fitzgerald’s birthplace at 481 Laurel Avenue as a National Literary Landmark, and my interest deepened and grew from that point onward.
What is it about Fitzgerald and his work that you find so compelling?
Fitzgerald’s work is very accessible and sophisticated at the same time, and his writing can be absolutely beautiful. He has many passages that are worth reading over and over again. But more than that, he writes of universal themes of love, greed, and dreams that continue to touch us all.
What is one thing about Fitzgerald that you’d really like people to know who aren’t as familiar with him?
There are tons of fascinating details about Scott, but I’ll give you tow interesting, sports-related tidbits. Scott was a big football fan, and according to a recent New York Times article, he was one of the first people to suggest that football be played with two “platoons” – essentially separate offensive and defensive teams. His suggestion may have influenced the University of Michigan to institute that system in the late 30s and 40s. And, his biggest football idol was Hobey Baker, who was a national star at Princeton when Fitzgerald enrolled there, and who Fitzgerald subsequently knew. Today, Minnesotans know Baker as the namesake of the award for the best men’s collegiate hockey player of the year – even though he was more famous in his day as a footballer.
Tell me more about the photo exhibit and why Fitz fans will appreciate it.
For Fitzgerald fans, it will be a treat to see many images of Scott and his family that they haven’t seen before. For someone more casually interested in Scott and Zelda, they’ll be able to see them as “real” people – young parents, children, siblings, playful 20-somethings, serious artists – rather than just the common, mythologized depictions of them as intense party-goers. In both cases, I think the photos will add depth and understanding to reading Fitzgerald’s books and short stories.
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Stu will present a gallery talk about the exhibit alongside scholar Dave Page, author of the new book, F. Scott Fitzgerald in Minnesota, on Sunday, July 16 at 2:00 p.m. The photo exhibit, Sight Unseen: Rare Photographs of F. Scott Fitzgerald with His Family and Friends, is free and open to the public and will be on display in the Bremer Room on the 1st floor of the George Latimer Central Library. Hours are listed below. Check our calendar for more details.
Sight Unseen exhibit hours:
June 24 through July 17
Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Mondays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.