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The Diamond as Big as the Ritz
The fantastical story by beloved Jazz Age writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald—a dark and gleaming fairy tale about the excesses of wealth and the promise of the American West—selected from Fitzgerald’s exuberant collection, Tales of the Jazz Age.
On a summer break from his New England education, John T. Unger of Hades, accompanies a new friend to his father’s private estate—a hidden palace carved out of one solid diamond mountain where extravagance knows no bounds, and everything feels a spectacular dream to modest Unger until he discovers the frightful lengths to which the family will go to protect their secret and their treasure.
On a summer break from his New England education, John T. Unger of Hades, accompanies a new friend to his father’s private estate—a hidden palace carved out of one solid diamond mountain where extravagance knows no bounds, and everything feels a spectacular dream to modest Unger until he discovers the frightful lengths to which the family will go to protect their secret and their treasure.
58 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1922
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About the author
F. Scott Fitzgerald
2,314 books25.6k followersFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald, widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age, a term he popularized in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age. During his lifetime, he published four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories. Although he achieved temporary popular success and fortune in the 1920s, Fitzgerald received critical acclaim only after his death and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
Born into a middle-class family in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald was raised primarily in New York state. He attended Princeton University where he befriended future literary critic Edmund Wilson. Owing to a failed romantic relationship with Chicago socialite Ginevra King, he dropped out in 1917 to join the United States Army during World War I. While stationed in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante who belonged to Montgomery's exclusive country-club set. Although she initially rejected Fitzgerald's marriage proposal due to his lack of financial prospects, Zelda agreed to marry him after he published the commercially successful This Side of Paradise (1920). The novel became a cultural sensation and cemented his reputation as one of the eminent writers of the decade.
His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned (1922), propelled him further into the cultural elite. To maintain his affluent lifestyle, he wrote numerous stories for popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, and Esquire. During this period, Fitzgerald frequented Europe, where he befriended modernist writers and artists of the "Lost Generation" expatriate community, including Ernest Hemingway. His third novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), received generally favorable reviews but was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year. Despite its lackluster debut, The Great Gatsby is now hailed by some literary critics as the "Great American Novel". Following the deterioration of his wife's mental health and her placement in a mental institute for schizophrenia, Fitzgerald completed his final novel, Tender Is the Night (1934).
Struggling financially because of the declining popularity of his works during the Great Depression, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood, where he embarked upon an unsuccessful career as a screenwriter. While living in Hollywood, he cohabited with columnist Sheilah Graham, his final companion before his death. After a long struggle with alcoholism, he attained sobriety only to die of a heart attack in 1940, at 44. His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published an unfinished fifth novel, The Last Tycoon (1941), after Fitzgerald's death. In 1993, a new edition was published as The Love of the Last Tycoon, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli.
Born into a middle-class family in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald was raised primarily in New York state. He attended Princeton University where he befriended future literary critic Edmund Wilson. Owing to a failed romantic relationship with Chicago socialite Ginevra King, he dropped out in 1917 to join the United States Army during World War I. While stationed in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante who belonged to Montgomery's exclusive country-club set. Although she initially rejected Fitzgerald's marriage proposal due to his lack of financial prospects, Zelda agreed to marry him after he published the commercially successful This Side of Paradise (1920). The novel became a cultural sensation and cemented his reputation as one of the eminent writers of the decade.
His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned (1922), propelled him further into the cultural elite. To maintain his affluent lifestyle, he wrote numerous stories for popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, and Esquire. During this period, Fitzgerald frequented Europe, where he befriended modernist writers and artists of the "Lost Generation" expatriate community, including Ernest Hemingway. His third novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), received generally favorable reviews but was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year. Despite its lackluster debut, The Great Gatsby is now hailed by some literary critics as the "Great American Novel". Following the deterioration of his wife's mental health and her placement in a mental institute for schizophrenia, Fitzgerald completed his final novel, Tender Is the Night (1934).
Struggling financially because of the declining popularity of his works during the Great Depression, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood, where he embarked upon an unsuccessful career as a screenwriter. While living in Hollywood, he cohabited with columnist Sheilah Graham, his final companion before his death. After a long struggle with alcoholism, he attained sobriety only to die of a heart attack in 1940, at 44. His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published an unfinished fifth novel, The Last Tycoon (1941), after Fitzgerald's death. In 1993, a new edition was published as The Love of the Last Tycoon, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 439 reviews
July 10, 2025
4,5*
“Um Diamante do Tamanho do Ritz” não é nada daquilo que eu esperava. Ia preparada para uma história decadente num meio luxuoso, e deparei-me com um conto de fantástico, mais próximo de “O Estranho Caso de Benjamin Button”, em que a riqueza e a sumptuosidade são inimagináveis e onde a decadência se aplica aos princípios e valores. Neste misto de conto de fadas e filme de M. Night Shyamalan, a vivacidade da escrita contrasta com a crítica social, face a temas sombrios como a escravatura, a ganância e o despotismo.
Ele deve ser muito rico –respondeu simplesmente John.– Fico muito contente. Gosto de pessoas muito ricas. Quanto mais rica é uma pessoa mais eu gosto dela.
“Um Diamante do Tamanho do Ritz” não é nada daquilo que eu esperava. Ia preparada para uma história decadente num meio luxuoso, e deparei-me com um conto de fantástico, mais próximo de “O Estranho Caso de Benjamin Button”, em que a riqueza e a sumptuosidade são inimagináveis e onde a decadência se aplica aos princípios e valores. Neste misto de conto de fadas e filme de M. Night Shyamalan, a vivacidade da escrita contrasta com a crítica social, face a temas sombrios como a escravatura, a ganância e o despotismo.
Ele deve ser muito rico –respondeu simplesmente John.– Fico muito contente. Gosto de pessoas muito ricas. Quanto mais rica é uma pessoa mais eu gosto dela.
December 28, 2017
A little amuse-bouche of the great F. Scott Fitzgerald, that starts off pretty "meh", but then takes a fun and unexpected turn into sinister fable territory about the trappings of wealth. I couldn't help but search for Gatsby-like jewels but not many were to be found. Hence, 3 glittering cubic zirconia stars.
April 14, 2015
John Unger goes to a posh university where he meets a posh chap who takes him to his family’s posh residence – a house built on a diamond as big as a mountain! But now that John knows their family’s secret… he can never leave!
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s favourite subject was the rich. From his greatest creation, Jay Gatsby, to this, his most famous short story, Fitzgerald absolutely adores writing about the glamorous lives they led. Also, not being of that world, he was quite critical of it too and The Great Gatsby is a damning portrayal of the rich’s behaviour. The Diamond as Big as the Ritz is more of the same but is written in a more fantastical, less artistic style.
The names of the places are very unsubtle. John Unger is from Hades (Mississippi) just so at the end they can, literally, go back to Hades, to a less luxurious life, because the middle class is so ghastly/hellish, what! He attends the prestigious St Midas’s University – wealth is a religion in America and their patron saint is Midas, a name synonymous with gold. The University produces “priests” of wealth who produce more for their “god”.
Also that first page is just weird. Unger’s mum packs his bags with electric fans – what, were they like currency back in the 1920s? Why does he need plural fans? – while his dad gives him an asbestos pocketbook full of cash. He’s gonna need that money to pay for his cancer treatment from that asbestos! It’s pretty poorly dated and that’s not even mentioning the “negro slaves” constantly present in the background!
The story itself is quite boring and overlong. Fitzgerald witters on with his descriptions of his idea of wealth back in the day (literally rolling out of bed into a bath, every single morning – ooo, how… mundane), while slowly uncovering this uninteresting story of how fabulous wealth isolates people and makes them do terrible things. It’s a dull tale with very on-the-nose themes.
I love The Great Gatsby – it’s an entertaining, bittersweet tale beautifully written with a powerful message at its core. I’ve read it at least three times. In comparison, Diamond is slow, boring, poorly written with nothing insightful to say – almost like a less talented writer is trying to parody Fitzgerald! Both stories are essentially about the same thing but Gatsby does so in far better style – read that instead.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s favourite subject was the rich. From his greatest creation, Jay Gatsby, to this, his most famous short story, Fitzgerald absolutely adores writing about the glamorous lives they led. Also, not being of that world, he was quite critical of it too and The Great Gatsby is a damning portrayal of the rich’s behaviour. The Diamond as Big as the Ritz is more of the same but is written in a more fantastical, less artistic style.
The names of the places are very unsubtle. John Unger is from Hades (Mississippi) just so at the end they can, literally, go back to Hades, to a less luxurious life, because the middle class is so ghastly/hellish, what! He attends the prestigious St Midas’s University – wealth is a religion in America and their patron saint is Midas, a name synonymous with gold. The University produces “priests” of wealth who produce more for their “god”.
Also that first page is just weird. Unger’s mum packs his bags with electric fans – what, were they like currency back in the 1920s? Why does he need plural fans? – while his dad gives him an asbestos pocketbook full of cash. He’s gonna need that money to pay for his cancer treatment from that asbestos! It’s pretty poorly dated and that’s not even mentioning the “negro slaves” constantly present in the background!
The story itself is quite boring and overlong. Fitzgerald witters on with his descriptions of his idea of wealth back in the day (literally rolling out of bed into a bath, every single morning – ooo, how… mundane), while slowly uncovering this uninteresting story of how fabulous wealth isolates people and makes them do terrible things. It’s a dull tale with very on-the-nose themes.
I love The Great Gatsby – it’s an entertaining, bittersweet tale beautifully written with a powerful message at its core. I’ve read it at least three times. In comparison, Diamond is slow, boring, poorly written with nothing insightful to say – almost like a less talented writer is trying to parody Fitzgerald! Both stories are essentially about the same thing but Gatsby does so in far better style – read that instead.
April 26, 2023
Realmente me gusto muchísimo.
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May 4, 2013
God, I loved this book. It was a little inevitable that I'd end up comparing it to The Great Gatsby but it really held up and it's really quite similar to the classic in almost every way. But with The Great Gatsby being one of my favourite books of all time, I had no complaints.
The book played with the same themes of extreme wealth and the disposable lifestyle that comes with it. I never thought that I'd find characters more careless than Tom and Daisy Buchanan but the Washington family definitely outdid them, going to extreme lengths to preserve their lifestyle.
Fitzgerald writes with the same elegant prose he uses to describe intricate scenes of wealthiness and on that point, he never fails. The novella was dark, humorous, and had many a quote-worthy line, all qualities found in any of my favourite books. It was a quick and pleasant read that I'd recommend to anyone who loved The Great Gatsby as well.
The book played with the same themes of extreme wealth and the disposable lifestyle that comes with it. I never thought that I'd find characters more careless than Tom and Daisy Buchanan but the Washington family definitely outdid them, going to extreme lengths to preserve their lifestyle.
Fitzgerald writes with the same elegant prose he uses to describe intricate scenes of wealthiness and on that point, he never fails. The novella was dark, humorous, and had many a quote-worthy line, all qualities found in any of my favourite books. It was a quick and pleasant read that I'd recommend to anyone who loved The Great Gatsby as well.
September 5, 2015
A charming, humorous, hallucinatory story about a young man who goes to visit a classmate's home in America's west for the summer. Only, it turns out the classmate's family is literally the richest in the world and has kept that secret from everyone, even the government of the United States. And unbeknownst to the young fellow, they have no intention of letting him go home alive.
This is really a novella and a quick read. I very much enjoyed it. Some beautiful writing.
This is really a novella and a quick read. I very much enjoyed it. Some beautiful writing.
January 27, 2013
I see that most people have given this short story a high rating. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. This was so silly and boring that I had to force myself to finish it. It's a fantasy in which Fitzgerald parodies people of great wealth and the extremes they will go to to maintain that wealth. Well, duh!! I think we all know that already. There is little or no insight here.
In fact anyone who bothers to learn about Fitzgerald's life will recognize what a hypocrite he is. His lifestyle parallels the "jet set" with houses in Westport, Conn. and France. So he criticizes the excesses of the wealthy but wants to be just like them!
By the way, I really liked "The Great Gatsby." As others have mentioned, it's almost as if someone else has written "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz."
In fact anyone who bothers to learn about Fitzgerald's life will recognize what a hypocrite he is. His lifestyle parallels the "jet set" with houses in Westport, Conn. and France. So he criticizes the excesses of the wealthy but wants to be just like them!
By the way, I really liked "The Great Gatsby." As others have mentioned, it's almost as if someone else has written "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz."
June 26, 2014
Second in my novella-a-day reading challenge was another Fitzgerald, the fantastical, dreamlike The Diamond as Big as the Ritz. This book is like no other I’ve ever read. It’s a modern Fitzgerald fantasy.
The premise also shows themes of American luxury and privilege, but it’s much less depressing than my previously-reviewed May Day. Imagine you’re a privileged teenager at a fancy prep school and a fellow student brings you home for the holidays. On the way there, he tells you that his father owns a diamond “bigger than the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.” A single diamond bigger than a building. What would you think?
That’s the situation John T. Unger finds himself in when his friend, Percy Washington, brings him home to the “only five square miles of land in the country that’s never been surveyed.” It’s a long story, and I won’t spoil it for ya, but the Washington family basically has hidden itself from the rest of America, protecting this gigantic single diamond that is the size of a mountain and camouflaged as one.
The overwhelming wealth of the Washington family means indescribable luxuries that take on the quality of magic. Percy is pampered and petted by the descendants of pre-Civil War slaves who never learned they had been freed. Percy is mesmerized by the opulence around him, further heightened by the fact that no one knows this place exists.
“Afterward John remembered that first night as a daze of many colours, of quick sensory impressions, of music soft as a voice in love, and of the beauty of things, lights and shadows, and motions and faces. There was a white–haired man who stood drinking a many–hued cordial from a crystal thimble set on a golden stem. There was a girl with a flowery face, dressed like Titania with braided sapphires in her hair. There was a room where the solid, soft gold of the walls yielded to the pressure of his hand, and a room that was like a platonic conception of the ultimate prison—ceiling, floor, and all, it was lined with an unbroken mass of diamonds, diamonds of every size and shape, until, lit with tail violet lamps in the corners, it dazzled the eyes with a whiteness that could be compared only with itself, beyond human wish, or dream.”
There are so many themes at play here but now is not the time to parse them. It’s a different Fitzgerald than the one to which I’ve become accustomed, but this book, more than anything, makes you feel like you’re floating. It’s like a dream, sometimes morphing into a nightmare, but never real, hovering on the fringes of your sparking imagination.
The premise also shows themes of American luxury and privilege, but it’s much less depressing than my previously-reviewed May Day. Imagine you’re a privileged teenager at a fancy prep school and a fellow student brings you home for the holidays. On the way there, he tells you that his father owns a diamond “bigger than the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.” A single diamond bigger than a building. What would you think?
That’s the situation John T. Unger finds himself in when his friend, Percy Washington, brings him home to the “only five square miles of land in the country that’s never been surveyed.” It’s a long story, and I won’t spoil it for ya, but the Washington family basically has hidden itself from the rest of America, protecting this gigantic single diamond that is the size of a mountain and camouflaged as one.
The overwhelming wealth of the Washington family means indescribable luxuries that take on the quality of magic. Percy is pampered and petted by the descendants of pre-Civil War slaves who never learned they had been freed. Percy is mesmerized by the opulence around him, further heightened by the fact that no one knows this place exists.
“Afterward John remembered that first night as a daze of many colours, of quick sensory impressions, of music soft as a voice in love, and of the beauty of things, lights and shadows, and motions and faces. There was a white–haired man who stood drinking a many–hued cordial from a crystal thimble set on a golden stem. There was a girl with a flowery face, dressed like Titania with braided sapphires in her hair. There was a room where the solid, soft gold of the walls yielded to the pressure of his hand, and a room that was like a platonic conception of the ultimate prison—ceiling, floor, and all, it was lined with an unbroken mass of diamonds, diamonds of every size and shape, until, lit with tail violet lamps in the corners, it dazzled the eyes with a whiteness that could be compared only with itself, beyond human wish, or dream.”
There are so many themes at play here but now is not the time to parse them. It’s a different Fitzgerald than the one to which I’ve become accustomed, but this book, more than anything, makes you feel like you’re floating. It’s like a dream, sometimes morphing into a nightmare, but never real, hovering on the fringes of your sparking imagination.
January 14, 2025
My edition contained 2 additional short stories, all featuring F. Scott Fitzgerald’s glorious prose.
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz: 4 stars, maybe 4.25. I was enamored by the gorgeous writing and lighthearted jabs, but the ending felt rather abrupt (though somehow still satisfying). I think it would’ve felt overly drawn out if it had ended any other way. I actually didn’t realize this edition contained more than just this one short story (read it on Kindle), so when I was about 35% through I couldn’t fathom how we could possibly still have 2/3 of the story left, only to discover I was in fact on the last chapter—which likely falsely heightened the sense of the sudden ending.
The Offshore Pirate: 4 stars. The dialogue at the start was a slog to get through, but once we were past that I was completely engaged in the story and thoroughly enjoyed the direction it took in the end.
The Ice Palace: 3 stars. This was an interesting exploration of the cultural differences between the North and South USA at the time, but I didn’t find the plot to be as engaging as the other two.
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz: 4 stars, maybe 4.25. I was enamored by the gorgeous writing and lighthearted jabs, but the ending felt rather abrupt (though somehow still satisfying). I think it would’ve felt overly drawn out if it had ended any other way. I actually didn’t realize this edition contained more than just this one short story (read it on Kindle), so when I was about 35% through I couldn’t fathom how we could possibly still have 2/3 of the story left, only to discover I was in fact on the last chapter—which likely falsely heightened the sense of the sudden ending.
The Offshore Pirate: 4 stars. The dialogue at the start was a slog to get through, but once we were past that I was completely engaged in the story and thoroughly enjoyed the direction it took in the end.
The Ice Palace: 3 stars. This was an interesting exploration of the cultural differences between the North and South USA at the time, but I didn’t find the plot to be as engaging as the other two.
August 9, 2020
One of my two favourite stories from Tales of the Jazz Age!
February 10, 2024
Un grande de Fitzgerald. Un encuentro entre el lujo, la opulencia, la avaricia, el clasismo y la endogamia. Una historia sobre las grandes fortunas, la estafa, la muerte y la violencia adyacente al poder.
August 29, 2013
Just a really lovely, tasty bite of Fitzgerald. Just a gorgeous little read.
January 13, 2016
John Unger tem 16 anos quando, durante as férias de verão, visita a casa de um dos seus colegas de escola, filho do «homem mais rico do mundo»; Washington possui o maior diamante do mundo e, não querendo inundar o mercado de diamantes, desvalorizando-os, mantém-se, junto com a sua família, em completo isolamento. Todos os que, por convite ou intrusão, vejam a fonte da sua riqueza serão obrigatoriamente eliminados ou mantidos em reclusão... e Unger, que acaba por se apaixonar por uma das filhas de Washington, tem os seus dias contados.
Um Diamante do Tamanho do Ritz é claramente uma crítica à importância que a sociedade dá ao dinheiro e aos que o possuem. Actos terríveis são cometidos por Washington de forma a preservar a sua riqueza, evidenciando uma obsessão por dinheiro que acaba por resultar na perda de valores morais. Um exemplo disso mesmo é quando este revela ter convencido os seus escravos de que o Sul venceu a guerra civil e que, portanto, a escravidão ainda é legal.
Para Washington o dinheiro acaba por ser não só uma prisão mas também a sua perdição e a importância que lhe dá leva-o ao ponto de tentar subornar Deus.
Por entre sátira, fantasia e hipérbole, F. Scott Fitzgerald arranjou uma forma bem real de ridicularizar a sociedade, narrando simultaneamente o romance de John Unger, a quem a provação em causa acaba por ensinar algumas coisas e desencadear o seu amadurecimento sem, no entanto, fazer com que ele perca um optimismo ligeira e propositadamente ridículo.
Um Diamante do Tamanho do Ritz é claramente uma crítica à importância que a sociedade dá ao dinheiro e aos que o possuem. Actos terríveis são cometidos por Washington de forma a preservar a sua riqueza, evidenciando uma obsessão por dinheiro que acaba por resultar na perda de valores morais. Um exemplo disso mesmo é quando este revela ter convencido os seus escravos de que o Sul venceu a guerra civil e que, portanto, a escravidão ainda é legal.
Para Washington o dinheiro acaba por ser não só uma prisão mas também a sua perdição e a importância que lhe dá leva-o ao ponto de tentar subornar Deus.
Por entre sátira, fantasia e hipérbole, F. Scott Fitzgerald arranjou uma forma bem real de ridicularizar a sociedade, narrando simultaneamente o romance de John Unger, a quem a provação em causa acaba por ensinar algumas coisas e desencadear o seu amadurecimento sem, no entanto, fazer com que ele perca um optimismo ligeira e propositadamente ridículo.
February 19, 2021
February 2021: Guess who fail the exam? If a have to read this story one more time, I will kill something or someone.
December 2020: I read it again for an exam. Still very boring.
December 2020: I read it again for an exam. Still very boring.
June 19, 2024
The 1922 F. Scott Fitzgerald American West version of Get Out.
December 22, 2025
"Un diamante tan grande como el Ritz" tiene elementos de la época que me incomodan un poco (por ejemplo, la manera en cómo el autor se empecina en retratar a "los negros"), y honestamente no tiene mucho de extraordinario, aunque sí me gustó más que “El curioso caso de Benjamin Button”. La manera de narrar y las descripciones, me hicieron sentir en una película en technicolor de los años 40's.
March 13, 2022
An interesting story which to me portrays the trials that come with being in possesion of great wealth. With infinite wealth comes the worries of protecting it and keeping it hidden. This short story starts innocently enough but a surprising turn of events occurs and our main character John finds himself in danger. Not exceptional but certainly interesting.
I find I'm fascinated by Fitzgeralds writing style and the subject matter of his books.
I find I'm fascinated by Fitzgeralds writing style and the subject matter of his books.
February 15, 2016
Such a weird little story; so well written and compelling.
March 20, 2025
In summary: don’t trust the rich and diamonds are not anyone’s best friend 💎
December 19, 2021
“The Diamond as Big as the Ritz” is a pretty gauche display of racism. That doesn’t surprise me since it’s Fitzgerald we’re talking about, but in this novella, it’s a fundamental part of the story.
Here, you get to read about a family with generational wealth extracted by enslaving blacks, tricking them into believing they were never freed post-Civil War, and forcing them to mine for diamonds and serve as house slaves. While I get that Fitzgerald is poking fun at this rich family, John Unger, a guest who serves the role of a voyeur for us, doesn’t bat an eye at what’s going on when he’s being waited on or bathed by these slaves.
Here, you get to read about a family with generational wealth extracted by enslaving blacks, tricking them into believing they were never freed post-Civil War, and forcing them to mine for diamonds and serve as house slaves. While I get that Fitzgerald is poking fun at this rich family, John Unger, a guest who serves the role of a voyeur for us, doesn’t bat an eye at what’s going on when he’s being waited on or bathed by these slaves.
July 21, 2015
I loved this little "gem" of a story (see what I did there?). Fitzgerald is a master of words and descriptions, and this exceeded all my expectations. The description of the chateau was amazing, and the actual plot sinister, like a dark devil's cake hidden by a innocent pristine icing.
January 10, 2021
The racism in this short story was too much for me. It went beyond the usual "of its time period" to being over the top racist. Then the actual story wasn't good enough to overshadow my discomfort in reading it.
September 28, 2018
El inicio me encanta, tiene un punto algo fantástico que me ha sorprendido para bien. Eso sí creo que va de más a menos, se va desinflando un poco la historia hacia el final.
July 16, 2021
i'm not sure i liked this? for being under 100 pages long, it felt really boring for the most part. the ending was better, but i'm not sure i would pick this up again.
December 22, 2024
Il 1° giugno 1898, César Ritz inaugura l'apertura del celebre Hotel Ritz di Parigi, destinato a diventare, nel tempo, un simbolo indiscusso di ricchezza, sfarzo ed eleganza assoluta. Questo luogo, rappresentava l'apice delle ambizioni borghesi e aristocratiche dell'epoca, uno spazio esclusivo che evocava grandezza e inaccessibilità. In questo contesto culturale e sociale, F. Scott Fitzgerald, con il racconto “Un diamante grande quanto il Ritz”, sceglie volutamente di citare il Ritz, conferendo al titolo un'eco di lusso estremo e surreale. La ricchezza è l'elemento cardine della narrazione, ma viene portata alle sue conseguenze più paradossali: la famiglia protagonista vive letteralmente su un'intera montagna di diamante, una realtà che sfiora l'assurdo. Qui la ricchezza non è semplicemente accumulata, ma posseduta in una forma talmente smisurata da diventare quasi metafisica. La montagna di diamante diviene dunque il simbolo di un materialismo senza freni e di una ricchezza disumana, scollegata dalle leggi della realtà e della società. La famiglia Washington — custode e prigioniera di questa ricchezza spropositata — incarna la distorsione del sogno americano. Ciò che dovrebbe essere il trionfo del successo e dell'autorealizzazione diventa invece un mostruoso isolamento: l'uomo che possiede tutto perde progressivamente la percezione della realtà, arrivando a disumanizzare coloro che non appartengono al suo stesso rango economico e sociale. La fortuna smisurata dei Washington diventa, così, la causa della loro stessa decadenza morale. Il giovane protagonista: John, di umili origini, ospite di questa famiglia, osserva inizialmente con stupore questa ricchezza inimmaginabile: il suo viaggio nella dimora dei Washington appare come l'ingresso in un sogno magnifico. Tuttavia, questo incanto si sgretola presto, rivelando l’altra faccia della medaglia: un mondo in cui la smania di ricchezza, il prestigio sociale e il potere prevalgono sull’umanità stessa. John diviene spettatore di un orrore mascherato di lusso, dove il valore della vita umana si annulla di fronte all’insaziabile volontà di preservare il potere materiale. Attraverso una satira pungente e uno stile che alterna ironia e amarezza, Fitzgerald dipinge con maestria una feroce critica al materialismo sfrenato e alla tracotanza delle classi abbienti del suo tempo. “Un diamante grande quanto il Ritz" è un racconto di rara intensità, in cui il linguaggio leggero nasconde una denuncia spietata: il sogno americano, che promette libertà e felicità, si rivela spesso una gabbia dorata, un luogo di alienazione e disumanità. È uno dei racconti più caustici e surreali di Fitzgerald, capace di mostrare la verità dietro l’illusione della ricchezza e della gloria.
November 17, 2022
Прилична и интересна новела, въпреки че не ме впечатли особено. Фицджералд отново представя същността на американската мечта , описвайки измамния блясък и безкрайната алчност и жестокост на влиятелен бизнесмен, забогатял от търговия с диаманти...
„— Под звездите — добави тя. — Преди не ги забелязвах. Смятах ги за големи диаманти, които принадлежат някому. А сега те ме плашат. Карат ме да чувствувам, че всичко е било един сън — цялата ми младост.
— И наистина е било сън — рече спокойно Джон. — Младостта е сън, един вид лудост, предизвикана от бурните химически процеси в организма.“
„— Под звездите — добави тя. — Преди не ги забелязвах. Смятах ги за големи диаманти, които принадлежат някому. А сега те ме плашат. Карат ме да чувствувам, че всичко е било един сън — цялата ми младост.
— И наистина е било сън — рече спокойно Джон. — Младостта е сън, един вид лудост, предизвикана от бурните химически процеси в организма.“
April 19, 2017
This is not, by any means, my favorite story of Fitzgerald's. I had a difficult time getting into the story, and then he hooked me when we found out Kizma's father had been killing off her previous summer boyfriends. But then before I knew it, the story was over and it went from zero to a hundred in a matter of pages. In my opinion, this story was missing the finesse that I have come to associate with Fitzgerald's writing. Still a decent story, but far from my favorite.
May 21, 2018
This short story was ridiculous in the best way -- funny and offering some real social commentary. It was very interesting to hear what Fitzgerald had to say about the rich, class, secrecy, and privilege, and compare it to what society is like today.
May 28, 2024
Brilliant short story
4.5⭐️
4.5⭐️
November 1, 2025
four stars just for the unexpected turn this novel has
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