Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Will Gatsby Still be "Great" When Its Copyright Expires?

The Great Gatsby is and, at least in my view, will likely remain the greatest American novel ever written. And so, I am terrified what will happen to it on January 1, 2021 when its copyright expires. 

I'm even less excited about this news: four days after that copyright expires, a book by Michael Farris Smith will release. It's called Nick and it's a prequel to the great, Great Gatsby.

I'm not sure if this is an supreme act of hubris, or if this author thinks he can actually capture Fitzgerald's essence. I'm already disappointed by the cover, which is simply a slightly altered knockoff of the original. Hopefully the writing will be more imaginative than the book's dust jacket. 

We'll find out in January.