You Should Know These People_Maxwell Perkins

Another in a series of incredible people who should be on your radar.

On this day, April 10th, 100 years ago, the greatest American novel was published.

Its title? The Great Gatsby.

And while you may be familiar with its charismatic and gifted author, F Scott Fitzgerald, you might not know his key collaborator on the work — Maxwell Perkins.

Maxwell Perkins, sometimes referred to as the, “Editor of Genius,” was born on September 20, 1884 and lived until June 17, 1947.

Perkins was a book editor at the famed Scribners and credited with discovering the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and one, F Scott Fitzgerald.

Indeed when Fitzgerald sent Perkins the manuscript that would become The Great Gatsby in 1924, both men knew they were onto something special.

"I think that at last I've done something really my own," Fitzgerald wrote to Perkins. But the novel wasn't quite there yet.

With characteristic insight, Perkins identified the core issue: readers needed a clearer sense of Jay Gatsby himself. "Among a set of characters marvelously palpable and vital," Perkins wrote back, "Gatsby is somewhat vague... the reader's eyes can never quite focus upon him."

This gentle nudge led Fitzgerald to deepen and clarify his enigmatic protagonist, transforming a good novel into a timeless classic.

Their relationship went far beyond editorial feedback. Perkins was Fitzgerald's financial advisor, confidant, and occasionally, his moral compass. When Fitzgerald's drinking and erratic behavior threatened his writing career, Perkins would intervene with patience and unwavering faith in his talent.

He managed Fitzgerald's advances (often providing additional funds from his own pocket), helped the author through creative blocks, and stood by him during his tumultuous marriage to Zelda.

The Fitzgerald-Perkins relationship is the most emblematic of this editor's gift. Their correspondence reveals a friendship of rare depth and mutual respect. When Fitzgerald died prematurely in 1940, Perkins was devastated. He had lost not just an author but a friend whose work he had helped shape for over two decades.

In his final years, Fitzgerald struggled to complete his last work, The Last Tycoon. After his death, it was Perkins who supervised its publication, ensuring Fitzgerald's literary legacy would endure.

The 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby isn't just a celebration of Fitzgerald's genius – it's a testament to the power of the writer-editor relationship. Without Maxwell Perkins' guiding hand, patient ear, and unwavering belief, we might never have met the mysterious Jay Gatsby or experienced the green light at the end of Daisy's dock.

In so many creative industries now defined by algorithms and market research, we could use more folks like Maxwell Perkins. People who bet on bold, unproven talent and nurture it with patience, wisdom, and enduring friendship.