Book Review: Superzelda

Jeff Nilsson — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:53:01 +0000

The title could mislead you, particularly since it appears on the cover of a graphic novel.

Superzelda is not the tale of a woman with super powers. Rather, it is the well-researched story of a very human Zelda Sayre—the headstrong, flamboyant young woman who married F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1919 and became the country’s best known “flapper.”

After his death in 1940, Fitzgerald’s reputation sank into obscurity but gradually revived. Today, thanks to the recent filming of The Great Gatsby, he is topping the best-seller chart once again. Zelda’s reputation has also shifted with time. While she lived, several of Fitzgerald’s fellow writers criticized her for being selfish, irresponsible, and ultimately destructive of her husband’s talent. In more recent years, though, Zelda has gathered a number of supporters who portray her as a true artist whose talent was crushed by her husband’s domination and jealousy.

Superzelda‘s author Tiziana Lo Porto and illustrator Daniele Marotta offer a view of Zelda that is not quite either of these pictures. They show a Zelda who knows her own mind, and is determined to live with as little compromising as possible. But their Zelda also desperately seeks her own artistic outlet as a writer, dancer, and painter, without ever quite succeeding. The book tries to separate Zelda the natural-born eccentric from the Zelda who spent the last decade of her life in and out of mental hospitals.

Superzelda gives a picture of Fitzgerald and Zelda that is intriguingly complex. We see their excessive drinking and infidelities, and their occasional outbursts of almost childish behavior. But we also see a lifelong, tender attachment between the foremost author of the Jazz Age and the embodiment of “the new American woman.” The authenticity of Lo Porto and Marotta’s portrait of the couple is reinforced by their extensive quoting from the letters and recollections of Fitzgerald and Zelda, as well as their contemporaries.

Some of their friends thought Fitzgerald and Zelda never should have married. Fitzgerald himself admitted once that he knew he’d made a mistake shortly after their marriage. But Fitzgerald always had a weakness for making dramatic and shocking statements that sounded as if they contained more truth than they did. This was also the man who wrote in his unfinished novel The Last Tycoon that “There are no second acts in American lives.” His recent rise in popularity, 73 years after his death, is arguably a valid second act. Superzelda gives Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald a well deserved second act of her own.

Cover design by Riccardo Falcinelli. Cover illustration by Daniele Marotta.

Book Review: Superzelda The Saturday Evening Post

Collectible News & Notes

Chelsey Fleming — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:43:53 +0000

No matter what they collect, hobbyists  enjoy sharing stories about interesting or hard-to-find  pieces from their collections. Here we’ve gathered a sampling of tips, tidbits, and true tales from across the collecting world.

What’s It Worth?

Getting an honest and accurate appraisal of a treasured collectible can be tricky, but the Internet has made the job a little easier.

For decades, the Kovels’ guides have been the gold standard of antiques and collectible pricing. In addition to Kovels’ well-regarded price guides (available in bookstores and libraries), kovels.com offers a range of news, information, and resources, whether you’re trying to find the value of heirloom jewelry or want to know if Grandma’s antique pie cabinet is worth repairing.

Collectors flock to online auction site eBay.com, not just to bid on hard-to-find items, but to search previous auctions to check the sale prices of pieces they own.

Nice Catch

Baseball memorabilia is one of the country’s most popular and diverse collectible fields. Vintage baseball equipment is particularly hot these days. Just ask Joe Phillips, editor and creator of The Glove Collector newsletter that covers the history of glove companies, which gloves were worn by famous players, and how to find and appraise collectible gloves. The most valuable gloves, Phillips says, are of course those owned or endorsed by famous players. Lou Gehrig’s game glove was auctioned for $387,000. Mickey Mantle’s went for $239,000. Older models, like the pre-1900’s cutoff finger gloves, are also very collectible. Prime examples can fetch $5,000 to $8,000.

Sky-High

Comic books from the 1930s and 40s are valuable (many were lost in wartime paper drives), but none more so than those featuring the debut of a popular character. Earlier this year, a 1939 copy of Detective Comics #27 (the first appearance of Batman) went for the sky-high price of $1,075,500. A few weeks later, Superman beat the Caped Crusader when auction house ComicConnect.com sold a 1938 copy of Action Comics #1 (the Man of Steel’s debut) for a record $1.5 million.

G.I. Bills

Most coin and currency enthusiasts build collections based on rarity and value, but some prize the history behind the hard cash, as in the case of a “short snorter.” During World War II and the Korean War, short snorters were typically $1 bills that servicemen carried as good luck charms. When soldiers gathered, they sought out other short snorters and signed each other’s bills, often including dates and locations. High-ranking officers and even celebrities signed them, too. For more about these unique pieces of history, visit the Web site shortsnorter.org.

Roaming Gnomes

Gnomes are a popular and decorative collectible for many gardeners (and tempting targets for pranksters). The most famous gnome-knapping occurred in 2008, when Murphy, a leprechaun gnome, vanished from his owner’s garden, then turned up months later, accompanied by a photo album. His abductor took him on a world tour, and the album featured shots of Murphy swimming in Thailand, rappelling down a mountain in New Zealand, and more. Securing beloved gnomes to a concrete base or garden stake is usually enough to prevent unexpected walkabouts.

—Chelsey Fleming

What do you love to collect? Tell us about your favorite collectibles. E-mail us at editor@saturdayeveningpost.com, or write to Collecting Column,  The Saturday Evening Post, 1100 Waterway Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202.

Collectible News & Notes The Saturday Evening Post