 First edition | |
| Author | John Fante |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Bandini Quartet |
| Genre | Roman à clef |
| Publisher | Stackpole Sons |
Publication date | 1939 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-06-082255-4 |
| OCLC | 63537603 |
| Preceded by | Wait Until Spring, Bandini |
| Followed by | Dago Red |
Ask the Dust is the most popular novel of 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 alter ego, a young Italian-American from Colorado struggling to make it as a writer in Los Angeles.
The novel is widely regarded as an American classic, regularly on college syllabi for American literature.[1][2] The book is a roman à clef, much of it rooted in autobiographical incidents in Fante's life. The novel influenced Charles Bukowski significantly. In 2006, screenwriter Robert Towne adapted the novel into a film, Ask the Dust, starring Salma Hayek and Colin Farrell.[1]
- ^ a b Woodard, Rob (2009-01-14). "How Ask the Dust nearly missed greatness". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
- ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (2009-04-07). "John Fante's 'Ask the Dust' grows with time". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-07-10.