Zelda, an Illustrated Life: The Private World of Zelda Fitzgerald

Zelda Fitzgerald is perhaps one of the most interesting wives of a famous historical figure in history. Not only was Zelda a highly energetic, flirtatious woman, she was a ballerina, a writer, and an artist. Her art is perhaps the least known piece of her work and is presented here excellently. Zelda's art is reflective of various styles, as the text acknowledges. Her undated work is hard to place because of this. Her work is reminiscent of Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keefe, and Miro in unison. It is also reflective of her life; Zelda painted gruesome dancers and mothers with children, and glorious cityscapes and flowers as well as strangely formed paper dolls and scenes from the Bible, fairy tales, and Alice and Wonderland. It is too bad that much of Zelda's work does not survive due to being misplaced or destroyed both by Zelda and her family. The writing analyzes Zelda's artwork quite well. There is text between the presentation of paintings, which seems awkward and yet well placed because the ending presents the painting that follow. The biography is objective and yet warm and biased as well as it was written by Zelda's grandchild. Overall, this is a well made book that Zelda Fitzgerald fans must read.

This is a relatively new yet hard to find book, but once you've got it I promise it will hold a prestigious place on your bookshelf. The book is filled with high quality photos of every known piece of Zelda's artwork and sketches, plus a mini-bio of Zelda complete with pictures and words from Eleanor Lanahan, Zelda's granddaughter. For those who are interested in art, Zelda Fitzgerald's pieces are enthralling, bewitching and at some extreme viewpoints even repulsive, especially her depictions of ballerinas and of a mother nursing her child. Her work mostly deals in fairytales and religion, as well as various "slices of life" in between. For everyone who is interested in Zelda's life, this is a can't-miss piece to her puzzle that you must find and enjoy.