Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - 61

Trying to Go Home Again
F. Scott Fi t zgerald ' s
A she ville Days
By the time " The Great Gatsby " author F. Scott Fitzgerald and
his troubled wife Zelda reached Asheville in 1935, they were
already in a period of serious decline. And not even the good
mountain air nor the gentle setting at the Grove Park Inn
could do much to change their fortunes.
BY RAY HARDEE
F.
Scott Fitzgerald was not without
problems during his 1935 stay in
Asheville's Grove Park Inn. His
wife Zelda was seriously ill. A
victim of schizophrenia, he had
suffered two severe breakdowns and was
not improving. His novel " Tender is The
Night, " published in 1935, had received
bad reviews, and sales were poor. His
debts were great, and his drinking probThis
photo of F. Scott Fitzgerald was taken in Asheville
in 1935. He was 39, alcoholic and unsure of his talent.
lem was awful. There were long periods
when he could not control his nerves or
concentrate on his writing. He longed
for the good days of the 1920s when
Zelda had her health and they were living
on the French Riviera in luxury and
he was receiving fame and fortune from
his novels. He was to discover that he
could never return to this life again.
Fitzgerald went to Asheville to look
for a place of anonymity, a place to collect
his thoughts. He had driven south
from Baltimore almost aimlessly, stopping
first at Hendersonville and Tryon,
A 35TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY CLASSIC
This piece, from the May/June, 1989 issue, was the first contribution to Blue
Ridge Country from the late Ray Hardee (1929-2021) of Asheville, North
Carolina. Ray's daughter, contributing editor Marla Hardee Milling, has
carried on her dad's legacy with countless features in Blue Ridge Country,
beginning in the fall of '89.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 61

Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023

Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - 3
Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - 4
Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - 5
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Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country Sept/Oct 2023 - Cover4
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