The relatively unknown fictionist, John Fante (1909-83) compared with William Saroyan and considered a forerunner of the Beats depicted Italian American experience in conflict with Anglo
culture in such novels and novellas as Full of Life and "My Dog Stupid." After an introductory biography and chapters contextualizing Fante's major works, Kordich (English, U. of California,
Santa Cruz) assesses the current state of Fante scholarship and considers his contribution to literature. Included are a chronology and selected bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc.,
Portland, OR (booknews.com)
