This collection investigates the literary output and personal correspondence of Zelda Fitzgerald to establish her independent identity as a writer beyond her role as a cultural icon. Editor Matthew J. Bruccoli compiles a diverse array of primary sources to challenge the historical narrative that relegated Fitzgerald to a mere muse. By presenting her novel, plays, and private letters in a single volume, the text argues that her creative contributions were central to the aesthetic and thematic concerns of the Lost Generation.

Scholars and critics frequently cite this volume as the definitive resource for understanding Zelda Fitzgerald's stylistic evolution and intellectual independence. The collection is widely regarded as a necessary corrective to historical accounts that previously minimized her literary agency.