Absolution

A confession to a Catholic Priest leads to a terrifying judgement that Rudolph Miller had not foreseen. Originally intended as a prologue to Fitzgerald’s masterpiece ‘The Great Gatsby’, this short tale follows the life of 11-year-old Catholic Rudolph Miller, who fantasises about his self-created alter ego, Blatchford Sarnemington. First published in ‘The American Mercury’ in 1924, it was later included in Fitzgerald's third short story collection ‘All the Sad Young Men’ in 1926. ‘Absolution...