New-York tribune., 1920-05-07

Having from time to time set down
our impressions Of f. Scott Fitzgerald,
who wrote "This Side Of Paradise" it
seems only fair to step aside and let Mr..
Fitzgerald talk for himself, as he does
in an interview by Carleton R. Davis.
which is sent to us by Scribner's.
with the distinct intention of taking
Mr.. Fitzgerald by surprise l ascended
to the twenty-ffth floor of the Biltmore
and knocked in the best waiter-manner
at the door. On entering, my first i'm
preston was one Of confusion-a sort of
rummage sale confusion. A young man
was standing in the center of the room.
twlnlng an absent glance first at one
side of the room and then at the other
I'm looking for my hat he said,
dazedly. "How do you do? Come on in
and sit down on the bed
"The author Of This Side Of Para-
disc is sturdy, broad shouldered and
just about medium height. He has blond
hair, with the suggestion of wave, and
alert green eyes-malange somewhat
Nordic-and good looking, too, which
was disconcerting, as l had somehow
expected thin nose and spcctacles.
I'VE had preliminaries-but I will
omit the prcliminaries-they consisted
in searching for things, cigarettes, a
blue tie with white dots, an ash tray.
But as he was obviously quite willing
to talk and seemed quite receptive to
my questions, we launched off directly
on his ideas of literature.
"'How long did 1t take to write your
book?' began.
ITO write it-three months. To con-
ceive it-three minutes. To collect the
data in it-all my life. The idea of
writing it occurred to me on the first
of last July. 1t was sort of substitute
form Of dissipation
"'What are your plans now?' I asked
him.
"He gave long sigh and shrugged
his shoulders.
"Tll be darned if know. The scope
and depth and breadth of my writings
lie in the laps of the gods. If knowledge
comes naturally, through interest, as
Shaw learned his political economy or
as Wells devourcd modern science-whv
thatll be slick. On study itself-that
Is, in reading up" subject haven't
anthill moving faith. knowledge must
cry out to be knowr--cry out that only
can know 1t, and then III swim in It to
sa0lety, as I've swum in-in many
things
Please be frank
"'Well, you know If you've read nv
book, I've swum in various seas of
adolescent egotism. But what l meant
was that If big things never grip me
well, 1t simply means I'm not cut out to
be Dig. This conscious struggle to find
blgness outside, to substitute bipness
OF theme for bigness of perception to
create an objective Magnu,n Opus such
as The sRlng and the Book'-well, all
that's the antithesis of my literary aims.
Another thing he continued. INV
idea is always to reach nv generation
The wise writer, l think. writes for tho
youth OF his own generation, the critics
of the next and the schoolmasters of
ever afterward. Granted the ability to
improve what he initiates in the wav of
style, to choose from his own ;n+errro
tation of the experiences around him
what constitutes material, and we get
the tirst-water genius
do you expect to be-to be-ve,,
part of the great literary tradition ., +
asked, timidly.
HE became excited. He smiled ra-
diantly. saw he had an answer IN this
"'These's no great literary tradition .