In the Autumn of 1923 Zelda was interviewed by a reporter from the Baltimore Sun. The public, he had told her, wanted to know if she was the heroine of Scott’s books. When the reporter arrived he found Zelda sitting far back in the plastic overstuffed chair in the living room of their Great Neck house. She told him this was her first interview and then called Scott to come help her. The reporter described Scott as he came into the room as tall, blond, and broad-shouldered, towering over his petite wife. They began to speak about three short stories that Zelda was writing. She said there were no typewriters in their house, for they both wrote their drafts in longhand. “I like to write. Do you know, I thought my husband should write a perfectly good ending to one of the tales, and he wouldn’t! He called them ‘lop-sided’ too! Said that they began at the end.” Then she interrupted herself to talk about Scott’s writing; her favorite short story of his was “The Offshore Pirate.” “I love Scott’s books and heroines. I like the ones that are like me! That’s why I love Rosalind in This Side of Paradise. You see, I always read everything he writes. It spoils the fun, the surprise, I mean, a bit….But Rosalind! I like girls like that….I like their courage, their recklessness, and spendthriftness. Rosalind was the original American flapper.”
At this point in the interview Scott explained that Zelda’s youth was spent going to proms and living in Montgomery. “That’s a mighty long way from New York,” he added. The reporter asked him to describe his wife. “She is the most charming person in the world.” And, after receiving Zelda’s thanks, he continued: “That’s all. I refuse to amplify. Excepting - she’s perfect.”
Zelda said, “But you don’t think that….You think I’m a lazy woman.”
“No, I like it. I think you’re perfect. You’re always ready to listen to my manuscript, at any hour of the day or night. You’re charming — beautiful. You do, I believe, clean the ice-box once a week.”
