John Fante Books

One of the great outsider figures of twentieth-century literature, John Fante possessed a style of deceptive simplicity, full of emotional immediacy and tremendous psychological point. Among the novels, short stories and screenplays that comprised his career, Fante's crowning accomplishments were, for many, his four stories about a certain uncomplicated character from the hills of Abruzzi. Collected together in one volume for the first time, The Bandini Quartet tells of Arturo Bandini, Fante's fictional alter ego, an impoverished young Italian-American who, armed with only a Jesuit high school education and the insane desire to write novels, escapes his suffocating home in Colorado to seek glory in a Depression-era Los Angeles. This edition also includes the first-ever UK publication of Dreams From Bunker Hill, the brilliant and final novel which a blind and wheelchair-bound Fante, nearing his death bed, dictated to his wife Joyce.

My first collision with fame was hardly memorable. I was a busboy at Marx's Deli. The year was 1934. The place was Third and Hill, Los Angeles. I was twenty-one years old, living in a world bounded on the west by Bunker Hill, on the east by Los Angeles Street, on the south by Pershing Square, and on the north by Civic Center. I was a busboy nonpareil, with great verve and style for the profession, and though I was dreadfully underpaid (one dollar a day plus meals) I attracted considerable attention as I whirled from table to table, balancing a tray on one hand, and eliciting smiles from my customers. I had something else beside a waiter's skill to offer my patrons, for I was also a writer.

Svevo Bandini, an Italian immigrant, and his wife Maria and son Arturo struggle to survive another Colorado winter

Ask the Dust is a virtuoso performance by an influential master of the twentieth-century American novel. It is the story of Arturo Bandini, a young writer in 1930s Los Angeles who falls hard for the elusive, mocking, unstable Camilla Lopez, a Mexican waitress. Struggling to survive, he perseveres until, at last, his first novel is published. But the bright light of success is extinguished when Camilla has a nervous breakdown and disappears . . . and Bandini forever rejects the writer's life he fought so hard to attain.

This new edition of the legendary Dago Red, first published in 1940, contains seven new stories, including "A Nun No More" and "My Father’s God."

The narrative explores the complexities of family dynamics as Henry Molise, a successful writer, returns home to navigate his parents' impending divorce. His father, a domineering and alcoholic figure, instills fear, while his devout mother offers a mix of comfort and confusion. This autobiographical tale, characteristic of Fante's work, delves into themes of love, death, violence, and religion, illustrating the profound impact familial relationships can have on individuals. Fante's passionate writing reveals the emotional turmoil and damage that can arise within a family.

Focusing on the life of John Fante, this biography reveals how Los Angeles served as a profound source of inspiration for the author. Stephen Cooper, an English and film studies professor, delves into Fante's experiences and influences, providing insights into his literary contributions and the city's impact on his work. The narrative highlights Fante's journey and the themes that resonate throughout his writing, making it a compelling exploration of both the man and the city he cherished.

Published here for the first time, this text presents a collection of recently-discovered stories by John Fante.

The narrative explores the remarkable posthumous recognition of a writer whose brilliance was overlooked during his lifetime. John Fante, celebrated for his unique voice and impactful storytelling, emerges as a significant figure for a new generation of readers two decades after his death. The book delves into his enduring influence and the reasons behind his resurgence in literary acclaim, highlighting the qualities that define his genius.

West of Rome's two novellas, "My Dog Stupid" and "The Orgy," fulfill the promise of their rousing titles. The latter novella opens with virtuoso description: "His name was Frank Gagliano, and he did not believe in God. He was that most singular and startling craftsman of the building trade-a left-handed bricklayer. Like my father, Frank came from Torcella Peligna, a cliff-hugging town in the Abruzzi. Lean as a spider, he wore a leather cap and puttees the year around, and he was so bowlegged a dog could lope between his knees without touching them."

I had a lot of jobs in Los Angeles Harbor because our family was poor and my father was dead. My first job was ditchdigging a short time after I graduated from high school. Every night I couldn’t sleep from the pain in my back. We were digging an excavation in an empty lot, there wasn’t any shade, the sun came straight from a cloudless sky, and I was down in that hole digging with two huskies who dug with a love for it, always laughing and telling jokes, laughing and smoking bitter tobacco.

Dominic Molise, ein junger, aus ärml. Verhältnissen stammender Italo-Amerikaner, träumt Anfang der 30er Jahre von einer grossartigen Karriere als Baseballstar.

»Fante war mein Gott.« Charles Bukowski. Die Bandini-Romane sind das opus magnum von John Fante, dem großen, erst kürzlich weltweit triumphal wiederentdeckten Outsider der amerikanischen Literatur. Die Romane erzählen die Geschichte von Fantes Alter Ego Arturo Bandini, einem aus bitterarmen Verhältnissen stammenden jungen Italiener. Beseelt von dem unbändigen Wunsch Romane zu schreiben und Bedeutung zu erlangen, entflieht er seiner engstirnigen Heimat Colorado, um sein Glück im Los Angeles der Dreißigerjahre zu suchen. Nach langer Zeit sind nun sämtliche Romane der Reihe wieder lieferbar, allesamt in glänzender Übersetzung von Alex Capus. »Ich habe angefangen zu schreiben, weil ich von John Fante so begeistert war.« Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre. »John Fante ist einer der ganz großen West-Coast-Autoren – italienische Leidenschaft gepaart mit californischer Coolness.« Alex Capus

Tutto il mondo di Fante, dagli inverni dell'infanzia in Colorado alla conquista di Los Angeles, presente in queste prose perfette, e non di rado esilaranti, che non hanno nulla da invidiare ai romanzi maggiori. Come Hemingway e come il suo grande amico Saroyan, Fante fu un maestro della short story, scrigno ideale della sua ironia e della sua umanità. Questo volume inoltre contiene una vera e propria gemma narrativa: il ciclo di racconti intitolato "I piccoli fratelli", che è quanto rimane di un progetto di romanzo a lungo accarezzato da Fante. Protagonisti di questi racconti, una volta tanto, non sono più gli italo-americani del Colorado e della California, ma i lavoratori stagionali filippini, che si guadagnano duramente il loro pane nei campi o nelle fabbriche dei sobborghi industriali di Los Angeles, aspirando a una vita migliore... ma soprattutto al Grande Amore, che prima o poi (o almeno si spera) arriva per tutti.

Ecrites entre 1932 et 1959, ces dix-sept nouvelles inédites de John Fante nous rappellent, si besoin était, ce que l'œuvre tout entière du fils d'immigrés des Abruzzes doit à l'autobiographie. Les aventures d'Arturo Bandini, le double romanesque de l'écrivain, reprennent ici parmi une kyrielle d'Italiens exilés en Amérique pour le meilleur comme pour le pire, défendant bec et ongles la Très Sainte Eglise catholique, apostolique et romaine ainsi que l'intouchable familia menacée, entre autres, par les amours illicites. Dans " l'opéra du moi " composé par le grand Fante, ces nouvelles sont de splendides intermezzi où grandes espérances et amères désillusions tissent le contrepoint tragi-comique de l'existence. On découvrira aussi la violente indignation de Fante confronté au racisme des Américains, mais aussi des Japonais ou des Philippins dans le contexte de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Bref, Grosse Faim est un grand cru du " vin de la jeunesse " ainsi que de l'âge mûr et, cerise sur le gâteau, on y lira aussi la préface intégrale et fiévreuse de Demande à la poussière.

John Fante beleuchtet in seinen Erzählungen die komplexen Beziehungen zwischen proletarischer Armut und katholischer Moral sowie kultureller Entwurzelung und gesellschaftlicher Integration der italoamerikanischen Einwanderer in den 30er und 40er Jahren. Sein Werk ist ein literarisches Denkmal für diese Zeit.

Fils d'immigrés italiens et double déguisé de John Fante, Dominic Molise voit son père tomber du piédestal sur lequel il l'avait placé. Lors d'un week-end fatidique dans une mine, le jeune homme devra affronter la face cachée insoupçonnée de celui qu'il voyait comme un humble et honnête poseur de briques.On retrouve dans L'orgie les thèmes chers à l'auteur : le mensonge du père, la piété d'une mère, le rêve américain du fils. Entre humour et désespoir, Fante dynamite allègrement les relations familiales, la fin de l'enfance et les illusions perdues." Pour écrire L'orgie , comme son Vin de la jeunesse , Fante a pressé, furiosissimo , Les Raisins de la colère . De la vendange, le père Steinbeck tirait une morale ; malgré l'adversité, Fante en rapporte d'abord une extraordinaire énergie. Du désespoir ? "Michel Grisolia, L'ExpressTraduit de l'anglais (États-Unis) par Brice Matthieussent

" Personne ne sait mieux que Fante dire les humiliations de l'enfance, les espoirs insensés et déçus, les rages au cœur et au ventre, les tendresses frustrées, les désirs impétueux. Personne ne sait dire aussi bien cette enfance-là, avec ses drames et ses rêves. Sans eau de rose, sans trémolos, avec une émotion vibrante et sèche, Le Vin de la jeunesse est à coup sûr un grand classique de la littérature sur l'enfance. " Michèle Gazier, Télérama.

" Si vous avez des idées noires, plongez-vous dans Mon chien Stupide. Vous en sortirez revigoré. Le nouvel avatar de Fante, alias Bandini, est un quinquagénaire, vivant sur le bord du Pacifique avec sa femme et ses quatre enfants qui le font tourner en bourrique. Il recueille un énorme quadrupède, Stupide, un chien étrange qui complète la maisonnée. C'est à la fois drôle, ironique, tragique, bouleversant et merveilleusement écrit. A lire de toute urgence. " Pierre Roudil Figaro magazine, 1987