Zelda Fitzgerald, born Zelda Sayre on July 24, 1900, in Montgomery, Alabama, was an American novelist, painter and dancer, and one of the defining figures of the Jazz Age. She married the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1920, and the glamorous, restless couple came to symbolise the Roaring Twenties. Zelda was often called "the first American flapper."

Beyond her fame as a muse, she was a gifted creative in her own right. She published the novel Save Me the Waltz (1932), wrote short stories and essays, trained seriously in ballet, and produced vivid paintings that are still exhibited today. She spent many of her later years in hospital care, and she died on March 10, 1948, in a fire at Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Her quotes are witty, romantic and sharp.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Zelda Fitzgerald and these famous quotes.

Who was Zelda Fitzgerald?

Zelda Fitzgerald (1900–1948) was an American novelist, painter and dancer, and the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. She is remembered as an icon of the 1920s Jazz Age.

What did Zelda Fitzgerald write?

Her best-known work is the semi-autobiographical novel Save Me the Waltz (1932). She also wrote short stories, essays and a play, Scandalabra.

What did Zelda mean by "plagiarism begins at home"?

The line comes from her humorous 1922 review of her husband's novel The Beautiful and Damned. She joked that he had borrowed passages from her old diary and letters.

Why was Zelda called the first American flapper?

F. Scott Fitzgerald described her that way. With her bobbed hair, daring style and free spirit, she embodied the modern young woman of the 1920s.

What is Zelda Fitzgerald's most famous quote?

Her best-loved line is "Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold."