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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 ''Ask the Dust'' is the most popular novel of Italian-American author John Fante, first published in 1939 and set during the Great Depression era in Los Angeles. It is one of a series of novels featuring the character Arturo Bandini as Fante's al ...
'' (1939) about the life of Arturo Bandini, a struggling writer in Depression-era
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
. It is widely considered the great Los Angeles novel, 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 Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in projects across various genres in both blockbuster and independent films since the 2000s, he has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award. ''The ...
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 ''Full of Life'' is a 1956 American comedy-drama film directed by Richard Quine and starring Judy Holliday and Richard Conte. It was nominated for an award by the Writers Guild of America in 1957. Plot Writer Nick and his wife Emily are expecti ...
'' (1956, based on his 1952 novel by that name), ''
Jeanne Eagels Jeanne Eagels (born Eugenia Eagles; June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American stage and film actress. A former Ziegfeld Girl, Eagels went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films. She was posthumously n ...
'' (1957), and the 1962 films '' Walk on the Wild Side'' and ''
The Reluctant Saint ''The Reluctant Saint'' is a 1962 American-Italian historical comedy drama film which tells the story of Joseph of Cupertino, a 17th-century Italian Conventual Franciscan friar and mystic honored as a saint by the Catholic Church. It stars Ma ...
''.


Early life

Fante was born in
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, on April 8, 1909,Tom Peters
"Boulder's forgotten genius: John Fante,"
''
Daily Camera The ''Daily Camera'' is a newspaper in Boulder, Colorado, United States. It is owned by Prairie Mountain Publishing, a division of Digital First Media. History Frederick P. Johnson and Bert Bell founded the weekly ''Boulder Camera'' in 1890, and ...
'', April 12, 2009. to Nicola Fante from
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_(Abruzzo),_and_Mary_Capolungo,_a_devout_Catholic_of_ taly. __History_ The_foundation_of_Torricella_dates_back_according_to_local_tradition_to_an_exodus_from_the_exiles_of__Juvanum,_during_the_Byzantine_...
_(Abruzzo),_and_Mary_Capolungo,_a_devout_Catholic_of_Basilicata">Lucanian_descent_who_was_born_in_Chicago,_Illinois._Nicola_Fante_was_a_bricklayer_and_stonemason,_who_drank_and_gambled_to_excess,_leaving_the_Fante_family_to_experience_bouts_of_poverty._Fante_attended_various_Catholic_schools_including_Regis_Jesuit_High_School.html" ;"title="Basilicata.html" ;"title="Abruzzo.html" ;"title="taly. History The foundation of Torricella dates back according to local tradition to an exodus from the exiles of Juvanum, during the Byzantine ...
(Abruzzo">taly. History The foundation of Torricella dates back according to local tradition to an exodus from the exiles of Juvanum, during the Byzantine ...
(Abruzzo), and Mary Capolungo, a devout Catholic of Basilicata">Lucanian descent who was born in Chicago, Illinois. Nicola Fante was a bricklayer and stonemason, who drank and gambled to excess, leaving the Fante family to experience bouts of poverty. Fante attended various Catholic schools including Regis Jesuit High School">Regis High School, before briefly enrolling at the University of Colorado. He dropped out of college in 1929 and “hitchhiked to Los Angeles at age 24” to focus on his writing. Fante and Joyce Smart met on January 30, 1937, and were married on July 31 of that same year in
Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...
.


Career

After many unsuccessful attempts at publishing stories in the highly regarded literary magazine ''
The American Mercury ''The American Mercury'' was an American magazine published from 1924Staff (Dec. 31, 1923)"Bichloride of Mercury."''Time''. to 1981. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured wri ...
'', his short story "Altar Boy" was accepted conditionally by the magazine's editor,
H. L. Mencken Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...
. With Mencken's help, in 1938 Fante published his first novel, ''Wait Until Spring, Bandini''.John Wranovics
"Taxi Driver,"
''New York Times'', August 20, 2006. The following year, his best known novel, the semi-autobiographical ''
Ask the Dust ''Ask the Dust'' is the most popular novel of Italian-American author John Fante, first published in 1939 and set during the Great Depression era in Los Angeles. It is one of a series of novels featuring the character Arturo Bandini as Fante's al ...
'', appeared. “Much of the book focuses on Main Street and Pershing Square” in downtown Los Angeles, natural habitat of the “poor Los Angeles poet” who was the novel’s protagonist. Bandini served as his alter ego in a total of four novels, often known as "The Bandini Quartet": ''Wait Until Spring, Bandini'' (1938), ''The Road to Los Angeles'' (chronologically second in the saga, this is the first novel Fante wrote, but it was unpublished until 1985), ''Ask the Dust'' (1939) and finally ''Dreams from Bunker Hill'' (1982), which was dictated to his wife, Joyce, “from his hospital bed.” His short story collection, ''Dago Red'', was originally published in 1940, and then republished with a few additional stories in 1985 under the title ''The Wine of Youth''. Starting in the 1950s, Fante made a living primarily as a screenwriter, building a lucrative career writing mostly unproduced screenplays. According to a local historian, “He wrote movie scripts with drinking partner
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most o ...
in the 1940s, and was still active in the studios in the 1950s and 1960s.” Fante's screenwriting credits include the comedy-drama ''
Full of Life ''Full of Life'' is a 1956 American comedy-drama film directed by Richard Quine and starring Judy Holliday and Richard Conte. It was nominated for an award by the Writers Guild of America in 1957. Plot Writer Nick and his wife Emily are expecti ...
'' (1957), based on his 1952 novel of the same name, which starred Judy Holliday and
Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s through 1970s, including '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Th ...
, and was nominated for Best Written American Comedy at the 1957
WGA Awards The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility The ...
. He also co-wrote '' Walk on the Wild Side'' (1962), which stars
Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Jane Fonda, various accolades including two ...
in her second credited film role, based on the novel by
Nelson Algren Nelson Algren (born Nelson Ahlgren Abraham; March 28, 1909 – May 9, 1981) was an American writer. His 1949 novel '' The Man with the Golden Arm'' won the National Book Award and was adapted as the 1955 film of the same name. Algren articulat ...
. His other screenplay credits include ''Dinky'', ''Jeanne Eagels'', ''
My Man and I ''My Man and I'' is a 1952 American drama film directed by William Wellman, about an ambitious Mexican immigrant farm laborer ( Ricardo Montalban), who falls in love with an alcoholic waitress (Shelley Winters) despite being pursued by the beautif ...
'', ''The Reluctant Saint'', ''Something for a Lonely Man'', and ''Six Loves''. As Fante himself often admitted, most of what he wrote for the screen was simply hackwork intended to bring in a paycheck. In the late 1970s, at the suggestion of novelist and poet
Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...
, who had accidentally discovered Fante's work in the Los Angeles Public Library,
Black Sparrow Press Black Sparrow Press is a New England based independent book publisher, known for literary fiction and poetry. History Black Sparrow was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1966 by John Martin in order to publish the works of Charles Bukowski ...
began to republish the (then out-of-print) works of Fante, creating a resurgence in his popularity.


Later life and death

Fante was diagnosed with diabetes in 1955, which ultimately cost him his eyesight and led to the 1977 amputation of his toes and feet, and later legs. He died on May 8, 1983. Fante and Joyce raised four children in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...
, including
Dan Fante Daniel Smart Fante (February 19, 1944 – November 23, 2015) was an American author and playwright. He was born in Los Angeles. Biography Fante was the son of novelist John Fante whose writing came back into vogue after Charles Bukowski decl ...
, an author and playwright who died in 2015.


Legacy and recognition

He is known to be one of the first to portray the tough times faced by many writers in Los Angeles, and is often referred to as "the quintessential L.A. novelist." He has also been cited as a precursor to Beat writers.
Robert Towne Robert Towne (born Robert Bertram Schwartz;'' Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' by Peter Biskind page 30, 1999 Bloomsbury edition November 23, 1934) is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He started with writing films for Roger ...
has called ''Ask the Dust'' the greatest novel ever written about Los Angeles. Michael Tolkin said the novel should be "mandatory reading" in the Los Angeles school system. More than 60 years after it was published, ''Ask the Dust'' appeared for several weeks on the ''New York Times Best Sellers List. Fante's work and style have influenced similar authors such as
Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...
, who stated in his introduction to ''Ask the Dust'' that "Fante was my god". Bukowski dedicated poems to Fante, and in the early part of his career was said to go around shouting, "I am Arturo Bandini!" in reference to Fante's alter ego.Allen Barra
"Who was John Fante?"
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...
, March 10, 2006. In his 1978 novel ''
Women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...
'', Bukowski's alter ego
Henry Chinaski Henry Charles "Hank" Chinaski is the literary alter ego of the American writer Charles Bukowski, appearing in five of Bukowski's novels, a number of his short stories and poems, and the films ''Barfly (film), Barfly'' and Factotum (film), ''Factot ...
is asked to name his favorite author and he replies, "Fante." Fante wrote about writing, about people he knew, and about places where he lived and worked, which included Wilmington,
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporat ...
, Manhattan Beach, the Bunker Hill district of downtown Los Angeles, as well as various homes in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
,
Echo Park Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known f ...
and Malibu. Recurring themes in Fante's work are
poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse
,
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
family life Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
,
Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
identity, sports, and racism. Kristopher Cook proposes a concentration on themes of "existentialism; philosophy – finding the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal concern". Additionally, Neil Gordon suggests Fante's works exude a "profound urge to realize an artistic talent and an equally profound anxiety about recognition in the literary market". Fante's clear voice, vivid characters, shoot-from-the-hip style, and painful, emotional honesty blended with humor and scrupulous self-criticism lends his books to wide appreciation. Most of his novels and stories take place either in Colorado or California. Many of his novels and short stories also feature or focus on fictional incarnations of Fante's father, Nicola Fante, as a cantankerous wine tippling, cigar stub-smoking
bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsman and tradesman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry ...
. In 1987, Fante was posthumously awarded the
PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity wh ...
USA President's Award. On October 13, 2009,
Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro temp ...
member
Jan Perry Jan C. Perry (born June 8, 1955) is an American politician from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she served on the Los Angeles City Council. Career Perry was a member of the ninth district of the Los Angeles City Council from 200 ...
put forward a motion, seconded by Jose Huizar, that the intersection of Fifth Street and Grand Avenue be designated John Fante Square. The site is outside the
Los Angeles Central Library Richard J. Riordan Central Library, also known as the Los Angeles Central Library, is the main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), in Downtown Los Angeles. It is named after Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan. It consists of tw ...
frequented by the young Fante, and where
Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...
discovered ''Ask The Dust.'' On April 8, 2010, the author's 101st birthday, the Fante Square sign was unveiled in a noon ceremony attended by Fante's family, fans and city officials. Fante Square is located near the old Bunker Hill neighborhood he wrote about, and where he also lived.


Film and theater adaptations

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...
bought the rights to ''The Brotherhood of the Grape'', but a film was not produced.
Dominique Deruddere Dominique Deruddere (born 15 June 1957) is a Belgium, Belgian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Career Dominique Deruddere was an actor before he became a director. Filmography * ''Crazy Love (1987 film), Crazy Love'' (1987) * ...
directed the movie version of '' Wait Until Spring, Bandini'', which was released in 1989. In March 2006,
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
released ''
Ask the Dust ''Ask the Dust'' is the most popular novel of Italian-American author John Fante, first published in 1939 and set during the Great Depression era in Los Angeles. It is one of a series of novels featuring the character Arturo Bandini as Fante's al ...
'', directed by
Robert Towne Robert Towne (born Robert Bertram Schwartz;'' Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' by Peter Biskind page 30, 1999 Bloomsbury edition November 23, 1934) is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He started with writing films for Roger ...
and starring
Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in projects across various genres in both blockbuster and independent films since the 2000s, he has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award. ''The ...
, Salma Hayek and
Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...
. In December 2006, a 2001 documentary film about Fante, entitled ''A Sad Flower in the Sand'' (directed by Jan Louter), aired on the PBS series ''
Independent Lens ''Independent Lens'' is a weekly television series airing on PBS featuring documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of ''Independent Lens'' were hosted by Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence H ...
''.
Yvan Attal Yvan is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Jacques-Yvan Morin, GOQ (born 1931), politician in Quebec, Canada *Marc-Yvan Côté (born 1947), former Quebec politician and Cabinet Minister for the Quebec Liberal Party *Maurice-Yvan S ...
directed and starred in the French film ''
My Dog Stupid ''My Dog Stupid'' (french: Mon chien Stupide) is a 2019 French comedy film directed by Yvan Attal and starring Attal and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The screenplay, written by Attal, Dean Craig and Yaël Langmann, is based on the short story of the sa ...
'' (''Mon chien Stupide''), released in October 2019, based on the story of the same name in ''West of Rome''. On January 18, 2001, the play ''1933'' by Randal Myler and
Brockman Seawell Brock Seawell is an American producer of plays, television programs and feature films. Education and career Brock Seawell graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His theater producing credits include ''1933'' which he adapted ...
, based on Fante's novel ''1933 Was a Bad Year'', premiered at the
Denver Center for the Performing Arts The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the commun ...
.Kenneth Jones
"1933, Tale of a Baseball Dreamer, Premieres in Denver Jan. 18-March 3,"
''Playbill'', January 18, 2001.


Writings


Novels

*'' The Road to Los Angeles'' (1936, published posthumously in 1985) (Bandini Quartet: 2) *'' Wait Until Spring, Bandini'' (1938) (Bandini Quartet: 1) *''
Ask the Dust ''Ask the Dust'' is the most popular novel of Italian-American author John Fante, first published in 1939 and set during the Great Depression era in Los Angeles. It is one of a series of novels featuring the character Arturo Bandini as Fante's al ...
'' (1939) (Bandini Quartet: 3) *''Full of Life'' (1952) *''Bravo, Burro!'' (1970, with Rudolph Borchert) *''The Brotherhood of the Grape'' (1977) *''Dreams from Bunker Hill'' (1982) (Bandini Quartet: 4) *''1933 Was a Bad Year'' (posthumously, 1985; incomplete)


Novellas

*''West of Rome'' (posthumously, 1986)


Short story collections

*''Dago Red'' (1940) *''The Wine of Youth: Selected Stories'' (1985) *''The Big Hunger: Stories, 1932–1959'' (2000) *''The John Fante Reader'' (2003, edited by Stephen Cooper)


Letters

*''Fante/Mencken: John Fante & H. L. Mencken: A Personal Correspondence, 1932–1950'' (1989) *''Prologue to Ask the Dust'' (1990) *''John Fante: Selected Letters, 1932–1981'' (1991)


References


Further reading

* Stephen Cooper, ''Full of Life: A Biography of John Fante'', New York:
North Point Press North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...
, 2000 *
Dan Fante Daniel Smart Fante (February 19, 1944 – November 23, 2015) was an American author and playwright. He was born in Los Angeles. Biography Fante was the son of novelist John Fante whose writing came back into vogue after Charles Bukowski decl ...
, ''Fante: A Family's Legacy of Writing, Drinking, and Surviving'', 2011


External links

*
Italian-English website about Fante's family


from the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fante, John 1909 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American screenwriters American male novelists American male screenwriters American male short story writers American short story writers American writers of Italian descent Blind people from the United States Blind writers Novelists from Colorado People from Echo Park, Los Angeles Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Colorado University of Colorado alumni Writers from Denver Writers from Los Angeles