Lost F. Scott Fitzgerald story to be published after 76 years

Between Harper Lee and Dr. Seuss’ recent new books, it seems like long-lost manuscripts by literary greats are having a moment. The latest addition to this club is F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose short story “Temperature” is being published in the latest issue of quarterly literary magazine The Strand, the AP reports.

According to the AP, the 8,000 word short story, dated July 1939, is about “a hard-drinking writer diagnosed with cardiac disease.” The AP points out that Fitzgerald’s note at the beginning of the text reads: “And as for that current dodge ‘No reference to any living character is intended’ — no use even trying that.” Fitzgerald, perhaps as famous for his lavish roaring ’20s partying as for his exquisite writing, died of a heart attack in 1940 at age 44.

The Los Angeles-set story, the AP notes, follows 31-year-old Emmet Monsen, who is “notably photogenic” and “slender and darkly handsome.” Monsen is surrounded by “medical authorities, personal assistants and a Hollywood actress and estranged lover who gets more estranged all the time.”

The Strand‘s managing editor, Andrew F. Gulli, reportedly discovered the piece while sifting through the archives at Princeton University (Fitzgerald’s alma mater).

To read “Temperature,” purchase The Strand Magazine here.