Minneapolis’ 7th Gift to the World: The Great Gatsby
This week, Metroblogging sites around the globe are unveiling seven gifts their cities can share with the world. Browse the numerous Metblogs, or check here to see what other cities are giving.
Let us know if you totally agree or totally disagree with the gifts we’ve chosen. When we say “Minneapolis” sometimes we mean “St. Paul” or “Minnesota.” Our 7th gift is The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby is widely considered to be a classic piece of American Literature. It was published in 1925 by St. Paul native F. Scott Fitzgerald.
There are four film adaptations and one opera. The spectacular new Guthrie Theater opened in July this year in Minneapolis with the first authorized stage adaptation of The Great Gatsby since the novel was first written.
Gatz, a stage adaptation unrecognized by the Fitzgerald estate, features a collection of office workers reading the story aloud. Gatz had its U.S. premier at Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center (located right next to what used to be the old Guthrie Theater) in September of this year, shortly after the closing of The Great Gatsby at the new Guthrie.
F. Scott Fitzgerald attended the prestigious St. Paul Academy and returned home to St. Paul after college to finish his first novel. His parents once lived at 599 Summit Ave, on the longest remaining stretch of residential Victorian architecture in the United States. Various descriptions of Fitzgerald’s days in St. Paul [skip to pg. 38 (pdf)] detail the numerous places Fitzgerald used to hang out in, many of which one can still find today.
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I thought Fitzgerald was from St. Paul. How can Minneapolis claim this as its own?
The point being this blog happens to be titled “Metroblogging Minneapolis” and not “Metroblogging St. Paul” or “Metroblogging Twin Cities” or “Metroblogging Minnesota.” Even though we try to be focused on the metro as a whole than on Minneapolis specifically.
Just trying to keep consistent with all the posts. Plus I mentioned that in the 2nd paragraph.
So you couldn’t come up with seven things that are actually from Minneapolis?
I think a lot of people from St. Paul take issue with people from Mpls referring to the entire metro as Minneapolis. Just like some people from Mpls have a problem with people from Edina saying they’re from Minneapolis, and Chicago residents don’t like people from Aurora claiming they’re from Chicago. I usually just tell people I’m from the Twin Cities, since I live in St. Paul and work in Minneapolis
What would be on your list of 7 things from St. Paul?
here is a fantastic speech i heard on mpr about fitzgerald and st. paul:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/11/24/midday2/
Just to bring ‘I Live in St. Paul’s’ attention toward the end of the 1st para in Erica’s article - it does very graciously say FSF was from St. Paul!
I was reading Metroblogging Chicago and they have people complaining about the gifts, too. It makes me wonder if they’re just very creative spammers!
I’m not surprised to have gotten a Minneapolis vs St. Paul comment. I just wasn’t expecting it here.
As someone who grew up in Detroit, did actually live in the city of Detroit, and went to school in Ann Arbor with a bunch of other people “from Detroit,” I’m sensitive to the issue. I didn’t think it had anything to do with what we’re actually talking about here.
I’m not in any way trying to say that F. Scott Fitzgerald is a Minneapolis thing and not a St. Paul thing. My point is this blog is titled “Metroblogging Minneapolis” but we cover the whole Twin Cities area and in the case of this series of posts we’re sometimes referring to Minnesota in general.
But whatever.
Chris, that was a great story on NPR. Thanks for sharing.