The Great Gatsby

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD: F. Scott Fitzgerald was a short story writer and novelist considered one of the pre-eminent authors in the history of American literature due largely to the enormous posthumous success of his third book, The Great Gatsby. Perhaps the quintessential American novel, as well as a definitive social history of the Jazz Age, The Great Gatsby has become required reading for virtually every American high school student and has had a transportive effect on generation after generation of readers.

At the age of 24, the success of his first novel, This Side of Paradise, made Fitzgerald famous. One week later, he married the woman he loved and his muse, Zelda Sayre. However by the end of the 1920s Fitzgerald descended into drinking, and Zelda had a mental breakdown. Following the unsuccessful Tender Is the Night, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood and became a scriptwriter. He died of a heart attack in 1940, at age 44, his final novel only half completed.

THE BALBUSSO TWINS: Anna and Elena Balbusso, also known as the Balbusso Twins, are an artist team of two Italian sisters living in Milan. Their work has been published by many major international publishers and companies throughout the world and across various media. They've illustrated more than 50 books, including deluxe Folio Society editions of The Handmaid's Tale, Pride and Prejudice, and Atlas Shrugged. They received more than 90 international honors and awards, including three Gold medals, a Silver medal and the Stevan Dohanos Award from the prestigious Society of Illustrators, as well as a Gold Award 3x3 Illustration Pro Show, two Joseph Morgan Henninger Best of Show and a Silver awards of the SILA of Los Angeles, the Victoria and Albert Museum Illustration Awards Best Book, and the Andersen Prize Best Illustrator 34th Edition from the Andersen magazine Italy. Their work is featured in numerous publications including The Economist, The New Yorker, The New York Times and Reader's Digest. The Norman Rockwell Museum has included the Balbusso Twins in their illustration history among the illustrators of The Decade 2010. Their artwork has been exhibited internationally. They have been included among the 18 greatest Italian artists in the "Children's illustration: Italian Excellence” travel show organized by the Bologna Children's Book Fair. They participated in the XXI Triennale of Milan, W-Women in Italian Design Exhibit. The Balbusso Twins have been featured in many publications including “Le Figure per dirlo” by Paola Pallottino, a history of Italian women illustrators active from the 17th century to today published by Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani. Their work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators New York, the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (SILA), the AOI, The Society of Publication Designers (SPD), Communication Arts, American Illustration, 3x3 The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), The University & College Designers Association (UCDA), The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA), Spectrum, Creative Quarterly, Applied Arts Magazine, Andersen Review, Lürzers Archive 200 Best Illustrators worldwide, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, BIB Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, The CJ Picture Book Festival Seoul Korea. For further updates follow @balbusso_twins on Instagram and www.balbusso.com