Culture

Fans of The Great Gatsby will be pleased to know that after 95 years someone has picked up the grand task of adding to a great American legend. Considered F. Scott Fitzgerald’s magnum opus by some, the book has become recognised literary critics as one of the greatest novels ever written. 

Using a relatable plot line, The Great Gatsby presents readers with a critical social history of the Jazz Age, particularly of Prohibition-Era America. Set on Long Island at the prosperous year of 1922, the book captures the hedonistic society of the time with flappers, economic prosperity, speakeasies and youth so filled with energy that they bounced off the walls. 

While people love the novel now, it wasn’t as highly regarded at the time it was released. Only after Fitzgerald’s death did it climb to fame properly. Albeit the rocky start, today the book is well-loved and even has had four movie adaptations in 1949, 1974, 2000 and 2013, although two are lesser-known. 

In the coming year, the novel will enter the public domain and days after is the planned release of a prequel by author Michael Farris Smith. Simply named Nick, it’s clear to see the direction that Smith took with the story, focusing solely on the character of Nick Carraway in the before. 

Brief interruption to America burning: Proud to announce NICK, set to pub 1.5.21 in US, 2.25.21 in UK. My tale of Nick Carraway through WWI, Paris, New Orleans, until the first moments in West Egg. Many thanks to @littlebrown @noexitpress @Trident_Media pic.twitter.com/gXmZU7p9ak

— Michael Farris Smith (@michael_f_smith) July 9, 2020

The story follows Carraway a few years before he rents a house in the West Egg district of Long Island and encounters the enigmatic multimillionaire Jay Gatsby. 

Smith hails from Minnesota, just like Fitzgerald himself and is currently known for a few of his publications. His most recent book, Blackwood, would be a good place to start for readers to get a feel for his style of writing, although the story is more of a southern gothic theme and unlike anything like Gatsby at all. 

 

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BLACKWOOD, March ‘20 @littlebrown

A post shared by Michael Farris Smith (@michaelfarrissmith) on Jul 17, 2019 at 1:04pm PDT

“The last time I read ‘Gatsby,’ a few years ago, Nick stayed in my imagination, and he reveals so little about himself in the story, I could’t help but begin to create him in my mind, and I knew the only way to get it out was to put it on the page. So I embraced the idea and dove into it with all those emotions fuelling the creation,” Smith said in a statement.

 

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It has been weird being on the road with everything that is happening, so I just want to thank everyone who has come out and all the great booksellers who have made me feel at home. Remember to support your local bookstores during this time, many of them are providing delivery or curbside pick up. These stores support our community every day so remember them and all of your local businesses as we hunker down. @novelmemphis @thecountrybookshop @page158books @hubcitywriters

A post shared by Michael Farris Smith (@michaelfarrissmith) on Mar 14, 2020 at 6:14am PDT

The publishers, No Exit Press and Little, Brown have teased that Nick is “charged with enough alcohol, heartbreak, and profound yearning to paralyze even the heartiest of golden age scribes.”

Nick will be published on 5 January by Little, Brown in the US.

Source: AFP Relax News