John Fante

John Fante
Born(1909-04-08)April 8, 1909
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
DiedMay 8, 1983(1983-05-08) (aged 74)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation
Period1936–82
Literary movementPsychological realism
Notable worksWait Until Spring, Bandini (1938)
Ask the Dust (1939)
Full of Life (1952)
Spouse
(m. 1937⁠–⁠1983)
Children4, including Dan Fante

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.

  1. ^ Nordine, Michael (2012-11-02). "Best L.A. Novel Ever: John Fante's Ask the Dust vs. Charles Bukowski's Post Office, Round 1". Los Angeles Weekly. Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  2. ^ Janet Maslin (2002-02-28). "Books of the Times; A Truly Famous Unknown Writer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-02-04. Retrieved 2017-05-28.