An American author and screenwriter, best known for his semi-autobiographical novels about the Italian-American experience, particularly "Ask the Dust", which has been praised for its poetic and evocative prose.
John Fante is best known for his semi-autobiographical novel Ask the Dust (1939), a tale of a struggling writer in Depression-era Los Angeles that has been hailed as the great Los Angeles novel. This seminal work is part of a larger series of four novels, now collectively known as The Bandini Quartet, which have cemented Fante's reputation as a literary giant.
Fante was born on April 8, 1909, in Denver, Colorado, to Nicola Fante, a bricklayer and stonemason from Torricella Peligna, Abruzzo, and Mary Capolungo, a devout Catholic of Lucanian descent from Chicago, Illinois. Growing up in a family plagued by poverty due to his father's excessive drinking and gambling, Fante's early life was marked by hardship.
Fante's passion for writing led him to briefly attend the University of Colorado before dropping out in 1929 to focus on his craft. He hitchhiked to Los Angeles at the age of 24, where he began to hone his skills as a writer. After numerous rejections, Fante's short story Altar Boy was conditionally accepted by H.L. Mencken, editor of The American Mercury literary magazine. Mencken's guidance helped Fante publish his first novel, Wait Until Spring, Bandini, in 1938.
Fante met his future wife, Joyce Smart, on January 30, 1937, and they were married on July 31 of that same year in Reno, Nevada. The couple had two children together, a son and a daughter.
Fante's work is characterized by its gritty realism, introspection, and exploration of the human condition. His writing often reflects his own experiences with poverty, identity, and the struggles of the working class.
Fante's work has been widely praised for its raw emotion, vivid descriptions, and poignant storytelling. His writing has influenced a generation of authors, including Charles Bukowski and Hubert Selby Jr. Ask the Dust has become a classic of American literature, and Fante's legacy continues to inspire new writers and readers alike.
Born in 1920
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Born in 1894
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86 Years Old
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