Rare F. Scott Fitzgerald typed letter signed, devoted entirely to Fitzgerald's revealing the people who impacted his writing. Dated 7 January 1934, in the final years of his life, letter to a Mr. Egbert S. Oliver at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon reads in part, ''Dear Mr. Oliver, The first help I ever had in writing in my life was from my father who read an utterly imitative Sherlock Holmes story of mine and pretended to like it. But after that I received the most invaluable aid from Mr. C.N.B. Wheeler then headmaster of the St. Paul Academy now the St. Paul Country Day School in St. Paul, Minnesota. 2. From Mr. Hume, then co-headmaster of the Newman School and now headmaster of the Canterbury School. 3. From Courtland Van Winkle in freshman year at Princeton - now professor of literature at Yale (he gave us the book of Job to read and I don't think any of our preceptorial group ever quite recovered from it.) After that comes a lapse. Most of the professors seemed to me old and uninspired, or perhaps it was just that I was getting under way in my own field. I think this answers your question. This is also my permission to make full use of it with or without my name. Sorry I am unable from circumstances of time and pressure to go into it further. Sincerely, [signed] F. Scott Fitzgerald''. Fitzgerald added a few hand corrections in ink throughout the letter. 2pp. letter on 2 sheets of plain stationery, measuring 8.5'' x 11'' are quite attractively matted and framed alongside a photo of Fitzgerald to an overall size of 32'' x 17.5''. Light toning, creasing and paperclip imprint to letter, else near fine. F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his classic novel "The Great Gatsby." He was born in 1896 and spent much of his youth in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1917, Fitzgerald dropped out of Princeton University to join the army, but never saw combat due to the end of World War I. After the war, Fitzgerald moved to New York City and became part of the literary scene there. He published his first novel, "This Side of Paradise," in 1920 to great success. "The Great Gatsby," published in 1925, is widely considered to be one of the greatest American novels of the 20th century. Fitzgerald was well-known for his extravagant lifestyle, which included heavy drinking and partying. He had a tumultuous marriage with his wife, Zelda, who suffered from mental illness. Throughout his career, he struggled with alcoholism and financial problems, and died in 1940, at the age of 44, of a heart attack. This item has been authenticated by Nate Sanders.

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