F. Scott Fitzgerald Full name Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. (1896 — 1940) A famous American novelist and short story writer. F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as one of the greatest twentieth century writers from the so-called "Lost Generation". He finished four novels, left a fifth unfinished, and wrote dozens of short stories that treat themes of youth, promise, age, and despair. Tender Is the Night (1934), tells the story of the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young psychoanalyst, and his wife, Nicole, who is also one of his patients. The early 1930s, when Fitzgerald worked on the book, were the darkest years of his life, and the novel's bleakness reflects the author’s own experiences.