"NICK," Great Gatsby prequel, set to release in early February

Sawyer Caldemeyer - Sophomore | Features

“The Great Gatsby” is a story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald about the Roaring Twenties. Now, almost a century later, author Michael Farris Smith has written a prequel about Nick Carraway, called “NICK”, the narrator of the original book.

Smith said he had related to Nick since his early twenties after reading The Great Gatsby. He had lived in switzerland for the last 15-20 years as an expatriate, a person who lives outside their native country. He felt like he was lost like Nick, uncertain of where he belonged.

Though he wrote the prequel to Fitzgerald's book, he hadn’t always liked “The Great Gatsby.” He explained that in high school he didn’t understand what the book was about. It wasn’t until he reread the book that he began to understand the story and characters.

However, one character -- Nick -- stood out to Smith the most. He felt like Nick was relatable, but also intriguing and mysterious.

“Nick was from the Midwest, fought in World War I and was turning 30, but that's really about all you know. We all have reasons why we see the world the way we do.” said Smith. “I knew there were probably some scars along the way -- there had to be. And that's what I wanted to find out.”

Smith wrote his book in less than a year and in secret, citing that he was afraid of criticism.

”I didn’t want to hear it was impossible.” said Smith.

Smith later said that he was glad that he didn't tell anyone about his efforts. However, once his agent and editor found out, they were surprised and impressed. Smith wouldn’t be able to release his book until 2021, when “The Great Gatsby” would become public-domain.

Now, in 2021, he was able to release his book, “NICK”. Smith is said to be one of the first people to take advantage of this concept, and others may soon follow in his footsteps. The book is to be published somewhere in February 2021.