John Fante Knihy

Dnes už kultový román Opýtaj sa prachu, medzičasom sfilmovaný v Hollywoode, sa pri príležitosti 80 rokov od prvého vydania dočkal aj slovenského prekladu. Fante (1909-1983) patrí k najvýraznejším hlasom americkej literatúry 20.storočia, literárnu slávu a uznanie však získal až po smrti. Záujem o jeho dielo sa zrodil najmä v 80. rokoch, a to aj zásluhou jeho obdivovateľov, ku ktorým patrili spisovateľ Charles Bukowski, scenárista Robert Towne či režisér Francis Ford Coppola.

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

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."

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.

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.

As father and son, John and Dan Fante's relationship was characterized by competition, resentment, rages, and extended periods of silence. This title traces Dan Fante's family's history from the hillsides of Italy to the immigrant neighborhoods of Colorado to Los Angeles.

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."

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.