John fante full of life
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John Fante: The Spirit of Los Angeles
Some 35 years ago, Charles Bukowski wrote, “Fante was my god”—and with those four words, he brought John Fante and his great books back out of near-obscurity.
The quote is from the preface Bukowski wrote for the 1980 Black Sparrow Press reissue of Fante’s 1939 novel Ask the Dust, his semi-autobiographical masterpiece of loneliness and Los Angeles, optimism and passion in the face of destitution and abandon. Bukowski’s work owed a debt to Fante, but in bringing Fante back and—with the help of Black Sparrow’s John Martin—getting Fante’s work back into print, Bukowski gave a generous gift to the literary world at large. Fante died just three years after his return to the limelight, but thanks to Buk, many of Fante’s works—including five novels and a short fiction collection (as well as five posthumously released books of fiction and two books of letters)—remain in print today.
Ask the Dust (Inscribed First Edition)by John Fante
NY: Stackpole. (1939).
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Nearly all artists toil in anonymity. Most of these unknowns must have thought that maybe they will receive their due at some point in the future. Occasionally, it actually happens. Such was the case with John Fante (1909-1983), whose novels about Los Angeles have become renowned since his death.
In summer 2018, I saw a copy of Stephen Cooper’s Fante biography, Full of Life, in one of my favorite bookstores – The Book Nook in Atlanta. They wanted $10 for a used copy, which was more than I wanted to pay. So, I filed the book away in my memory, then got around to ordering it in 2019.
Fante’s Life
Fante was born in Colorado into a family of Italian-American immigrants. During his younger years, his family spent time in both Boulder and Denver. His home life was turbulent. John escaped (to some degree) when he attended a Roman Catholic high school in Denver. In author Cooper’s telling, Fante’s difficult childhood and Catholicism combined to shape his novels.
Eventually, Fante moved to Los Angeles. With no credentials, he worked a series of menial jobs and gradually e
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John Fante
American writer (1909–1983)
John Fante (April 8, 1909 – May 8, 1983) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his semi-autobiographical novel Ask the Dust (1939) about the life of Arturo Bandini, a struggling writer in Depression-era Los Angeles. It is widely considered the great Los Angeles novel,[1][2] and is one in a series of four, published between 1938 and 1985, that are now collectively called "The Bandini Quartet." Ask the Dust was adapted into a 2006 film starring Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek. Fante's published works while he lived included five novels, one novella, and a short story collection. Additional works, including two novels, two novellas, and two short story collections, were published posthumously. His screenwriting credits include, most notably, Full of Life (1956, based on his 1952 novel by that name), Jeanne Eagels (1957), and the 1962 films Walk on the Wild Side and The Reluctant Saint.
Early life
Fante was born in Denver, Colorado, on April 8, 1909,
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