The Pat Hobby Stories

Written during his tumultuous Hollywood years, a collection of seventeen razor-sharp tales from literary legend F. Scott Fitzgerald, where humor and heartbreak collide through the eyes of a once-successful screenwriter.

A fascinating study in self-satire, Fitzgerald pulls back the curtain on the glitz, chaos, and absurdity of the Hollywood movie industry through the eyes of Pat Hobby, a washed-up screenwriter clinging desperately to his faded dreams. Pat’s misadventures offer an entertaining glimpse into the life of a man caught between ambition and reality.

Set in 1930s Hollywood—a place where lunchroom gossip held more power than the scripts themselves—Pat’s world is one of desperation and hustle. Once a celebrated writer, he’s now a forgotten relic, scraping by on odd jobs and half-baked schemes. With a drink in one hand and a sarcastic quip in the other, Pat navigates the industry with a blend of cunning and futility. “This was not art, this was an industry,” Pat himself quips, capturing the soul of a system where creativity often takes a backseat to profit.

Originally published in Esquire from 1939 to 1940, these stories were born from Fitzgerald’s own struggles as a Hollywood writer. His experiences at Universal Studios shaped every wry line and every bittersweet moment found in this collection. As Arnold Gingrich described in his introduction, this was Fitzgerald’s poignant “last word from his last home.” The result is a deeply personal, darkly funny, and brilliantly crafted portrait of a writer wrestling with his legacy in the twilight of his career.

Whether you’re a fan of literary fiction, old Hollywood, or Fitzgerald’s masterful writing, The Pat Hobby Stories will have you marveling at how even in his darkest moments, Fitzgerald could turn life into art.