Synopsis
Set in the hedonistic expatriate world of the French Riviera in the late 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel focuses on the stylish American couple Dick and Nicole Diver, and on the tragic obsession of the young actress Rosemary Hoyt. The Divers' relationship (including Nicole's mental illness) contains numerous parallels to the troubled marriage of the Fitzgeralds, although the downfall of the real-life couple was neither so neat nor so definitive as the failures of the Divers. The protagonists have also been associated with Sara and Gerald Murphy, legendary hosts of the period, famous for their wealth and kindness--and the double portrait was seen by many as a betrayal of friendship.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1995-07-01 | | Edition Description: | Reprint |
| Size | | Length: | 317 pages | | Height: | 8.0 in | | Width: | 5.5 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 12.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
First published in 1934, Fitzgerald's classic story of psychological disintegration was denounced by many as an unflattering portrayal of Sara and Gerald Murphy (in the guise of characters Dick and Nicole Driver), who had been generous hosts to many expatriates. Only after Fitzgerald's death was Tender Is the Night recognized as a powerful and moving depiction of the human frailties that affect privileged and ordinary people alike.
Published in 1934, TENDER IS THE NIGHT was one of the most talked-about books of the year. "It's amazing how Excellent much of it is," Ernest Hemingway said to Maxwell Perkins. "I will say now," John O'Hara wrote Fitzgerald, "TENDER IS THE NIGHT is in the early stages of being my favorite book, even more than THIS SIDE OF PARADISE." And Archibald MacLeish exclaimed: "Great God, Scott...You are a fine writer. Believe it--not me."
Set on the French Riviera in the late 1920s, TENDER IS THE NIGHT is the tragic romance of the young actress Rosemary Hoyt and the stylish American couple Dick and Nicole Diver. A brilliant young psychiatrist at the time of his marriage, Dick is both husband and doctor to Nicole, whose wealth goads him into a lifestyle not his own, and whose growing strength highlights Dick's harrowing demise. A profound study of the romantic concept of character--lyrical, expansive, and hauntingly evocative--TENDER IS THE NIGHT, Mabel Dodge Luhan remarked, raised F. Scott Fitzgerald to the heights of "a modern Orpheus."
Industry Reviews
"It's amazing how excellent much of it is."
Ernest Hemingway
"TENDER IS THE NIGHT is in the early stages of being my favorite book, even more than THIS SIDE OF PARADISE."
O'Hara
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