F. Scott Fitzgerald.
He is obviously most famous for The Great Gatsby.
He achieved some success as an author when he published This Side of Paradise, so he got a taste of “making it,” but his success was short lived.
He wrote a number of essays detailing his nervous break down and declining mental health; to the point that his nervousness and anxiety made it impossible to write. He was just too obsessed with success and the pressure to write a classic novel.
He died in 1940 believing his life’s work was a mediocre disappointment. 5 years later Gatsby’s popularity took off like a rocket, and many consider it “The Great American Novel.”
I’m convinced his book was self reflective and self loathing. I think he hated how badly he wanted to be rich and well liked/connected.