Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948) was an American novelist, playwright and painter. Her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald drew public attention and she was described by the press as the first American ‘flapper’. However, Fitzgerald was disappointed by the critical reception of her work and suffered from mental illness, being initially diagnosed with schizophrenia and then with bipolar disorder. She was hospitalised and endured ten years of electroshock therapy, eventually dying in a fire at the hospital at the age of 47.
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