La Grande Zelda by Pier Luigi Razzano

 Spectacular, unique, absorbing. This one is La Grande Zelda

by Pier Luigi Razzano. This book on Zelda Sayre, later wife of Francis Scott Fitzgerald is incredible. You'll love it so badly as I did and I do. Oh, the Fitzgeralds... This couple created the Jazz Age: both trendy, they defined a new society, more free, plenty of excesses, where parties, feasts, alcohol, the main reason of living. 

Freedom, escapism passing through champagne and tons of gin, drunk everywhere, in company, alone; and then discussions, tensions and a lot of love. This couple was under many ways self-destructive, but no one could live without the idea and presence of the other one. Zelda tried, experimenting women and then men, but she always returned home.

A beautiful Belle born in the profound South of the USA, Zelda has been since little an eccentric girl: she wanted to be the main attraction of events, the princess of every feast, the animator of a party, and she wanted to dance, because dancing means setting us free from our demons and it is catartic.

Written hearing the voice of Zelda, in a strong, and powerful consciousness stream, this book will make the difference. The years spent to the hospitals, the birth of Scottie, the abortion, the trips to Italy considered by the couple a very poor and unattractive place, but also Rome and Ben Hur, Capri and the fascism, the lesbian ladies, the discovery of painting.

Riviera with the Murphys and the beautiful pilot with which Zelda wanted to escape away. Away from Scott.

Montgomery, her family, her friends but also parties and her jealousy, her betrayal with a fisher, and then with a friend of Scott in a car.

New York, Paris, Hemingway and again the jealousy of Zelda; she didn't like Hemingway, she didn't like that Francis spent a lot of time with him.

We see closely the creative process in Francis Scott's mind, but also the involvement of Zelda, her suggestions.

Scottie, their daughter, grown up in a place populated by adults sometimes too erratic and violent with themselves and their partner.

An intimate portrait of a life lived with all the possible excesses you can think at, but after all...Isn't it this one the existence of every creative?

Francis Scott loved of an immense love Zelda. I want to close with this quote: "Zelda....voglio continuare a immaginarti e aprire gli occhi per ritrovarti lì mentre sposti il mondo per far iniziare l'amore."

The author in the final page thank also Zelda, Scott and Scottie, writing that they are his second family. Well, it is true. This book has been written with extreme feeling, and I love it so badly! 

I hope that it will be translated as soon as possible in english and french! It deserves it!

Highly recommended.

I thank Marsilio for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori