The John Fante Reader

This was my first introduction to Fante, and caught the "Fante was my God" quote by Charles Bukowski on the cover. The similiarities are present. I loved these short stories, but this collection is very disjointed, and only contains snippets from his novels. The characters are loveable, but you only get a few pages at a time. I wanted more, so I tracked down his novels Ask the Dust, The Road to Los Angeles, and The Brotherhood of the Grape and I was very impressed. Ask The Dust is supposed to be the masterpiece. The story-telling is almost all first person POV, and told with such an eye for detail and compassion and understanding for human motives, you can't put it down. It's like a Bruce Springsteen song (from the 70's and early 80's) put in novel form. It is so believable, you think you're watching the events unfold. I love his stuff and I continue to read it. It sits alongside Steinbeck on my bookshelf.

I think the reviewer, Queequeg, who thought this book 'Racist, Mysogynist, and Dated,' missed the point completely. That she is calling him a 2nd rate Steinbeck demonstrates that she cannot read Fante for he is, 'an original voice'. Secondly, her statement that he is 'quaint and offensive' by today's standards' says it all. Today's standards?! Please! Today's standards are hardly a yardstick by which to measure great literature. 'Today's standards' are themselves 'offensive'. Great literature by it's very definition is that which has stood the test of time and Fante, though underrated and overlooked, has and will!! Long live John Fante!!

I somehow couldn't get through Fante's Ask the Dust but this collection has me riveted. It's raw, powerful stuff and I'm embarrassed to find so much I admired in a more famous writer (Chinaski) apparently lifted from here (ample credit given, albeit). This is wrenching stuff. How did Fante's reputation get sidetracked? Kind of reminds me of another great writer, Richard Yates, who somehow got lost in the shuffle --jaw-droppingly awesome stuff that just went thwooop over the heads of the "important" critics.

Stephen Cooper has done more justice to telling Fante's story than anyone. It is Steve Cooper who has brought Fante's stories back into the limelight again, giving him the voice he so desperately needed (and deserved) when he was alive. The John Fante Reader is a fantastic compilation of stories from all of Fante's work. From beginning to end, the reader is allowed to follow Fante on his journey as a young boy and into adulthood. This is a fabulous read if you have yet to be indoctrinated into the world of Fante as well as if you already love Fante and his out-of-control imagination and storytelling. This Reader puts together little bits and pieces of his best work. I have not laughed as much as I did reading the escapades of Fante's characters, or cry. He is raw and human and so alive in all of his writing. You won't be sorry for having read this. In fact, it will probably prompt you to run out and buy all of his books and read them one by one. It is almost like being teased, only getting to read bits and pieces from each story here. But they are fabulous stories, nonetheless. I love this book and that stems largely from the fact that I love Fante. You don't have to be Catholic or ITALIAN to appreciate him. A huge thank you to Steve Cooper for putting this out in the world for everyone to enjoy.