The Diamond As Big As the Ritz

It is often said that great writers best reveal themselves in short fiction. Novels can better conceal lack of structure and style coherence but a short story forces you to fit in the life of an entire novel within the confines of just a few pages. Fitzgerald is, in this regard, a real master of short writing. The ebook we now give you is a great example of his mastery.

It was first published in a volume of short stories called “Tales of the Jazz Age” (1922). “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” is a “sinister fairy tale” that tells the story of a very rich family in possession of a great source of money: a mountain made entirely of diamond. It’s a low-hanging dream for most of us, eager to ignore the twists of fate associated with such a source of unlimited wealth. What happens when you add a love story on this background of wealth and danger?