John Fante

John Fante (April 8, 1909 - May 8, 1983) was a novelist, short-story and screenwriter, born in Colorado; he was educated in Boulder and attended the University of Colorado but subsequently moved to California and most of his works are located there. His most popular novel was Ask the Dust, a semi-autobiographical novel, forming a part of the "Arturo Bandini" series. Arturo Bandini was his alter ego in a total of four novels: Wait Until Spring, Bandini, The Road to Los Angeles, Ask the Dust, and his last novel, Dreams from Bunker Hill, which, due to his blindness in later life (caused by diabetes), he dictated entirely to his wife, Joyce. Other novels include The Brotherhood of the Grape, 1933 was a Bad Year, and West of Rome. Recurring themes in Fante's work are poverty, Catholicism, what it means to be Italian-American, and dysfunctional relationships, be it between lovers, family members, or with God. His novels evoke a Los Angeles that is all but gone under the effects of urbanization. His direct, clear writing style and witty dialogue make his books readily accessible.

Related Topics:
April 8 - 1909 - May 8 - 1983 - Colorado - Boulder - University of Colorado - California - Diabetes - Catholicism - Los Angeles

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Among Fante's screenwriting credits is Walk on the Wild Side (1962), based on the Nelson Algren novel of the same name. Other screenplays include Full of Life, Jeanne Eagels, My Man and I, The Reluctant Saint, Something for a Lonely Man and Six Loves.

Related Topics:
Walk on the Wild Side - 1962 - Nelson Algren

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In 1980, the novelist and poet Charles Bukowski(a huge Fante fan- 'Fante was my God') pressured Black Sparrow Press to republish the then out-of-print works of Fante by withholding his latest novel from publication. Black Sparrow conceded and Fante's popularity experienced a resurgence. When Black Sparrow was reconfigured on its founder's retirement in 2002, publication of John Fante's works was taken over by HarperCollins under the Ecco imprint. Full of Life: The Biography of John Fante was published by Stephen Cooper in 2000, followed by The Fante Reader in 2003. Several collections of his short stories, and a collection of his letters, are also available.

Related Topics:
1980 - Charles Bukowski - Black Sparrow Press - HarperCollins - 2000 - 2003

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