The Wine of Youth: Selected Stories of John Fante [Hardcover]

John Fante (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1984

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."

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Fante began writing in 1929 and published his first short story in 1932. His first novel, Wait Until Spring, Bandini, was published in 1938 and was the first of his Arturo Bandini series of novels, which also include The Road to Los Angeles and Ask the Dust. A prolific screenwriter, he was stricken with diabetes in 1955. Complications from the disease brought about his blindness in 1978 and, within two years, the amputation of both legs. He continued to write by dictation to his wife, Joyce, and published Dreams from Bunker Hill, the final installment of the Arturo Bandini series, in 1982. He died on May 8, 1983, at the age of seventy-four.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Black Sparrow Press (August 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876855842
• ISBN-13: 978-0876855843
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,608,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Short Story died when John Fante stopped writing., December 30, 1998

By 

Bill Fedigan: [e-mail] (Metro NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wine of Youth: Selected Stories (Paperback)

The Bell didn't Jar for Fante. He wrote like a man on fire, a fire of his own creation, a fire that lit up the sky and said 'Here I am! Take me or cover your eyes!' His stories are nearly flawless, all are great, and some are beyond great: they are burned into us and they are art. 'A Wife for Dino Rossi' is Everyman's Long Day's Journey. 'Home Sweet Home' and 'Hail Mary' drive the reader forward like a speeding locomotive - on Fire. Thank you, Black Sparrow Press for allowing us to warm our hearts and our minds. Thank you, Mr. Fante for never cooling; your sparks have lit a thousand flames.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read. Very humorus and entertaining., March 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wine of Youth: Selected Stories (Paperback)

The first time I've ever read Fante. I will be reading all his works from now on. He is reader freindly and makes you feel as if you're standing there with him as he tells his stories. If you're Catholic or been raised in that environment, you will cry laughing at some of his stories in this book. A fantastic writer that deserves more credit.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fante is Fantastic, November 22, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wine of Youth: Selected Stories (Paperback)

As one who reads a good deal of working class literature, I come to the work of John Fante with a sigh of relief. His stories are full of essential humanity, the beauty and laughter along with the pain. In his 1930's tales of American youth he finds the wine of the Mass, the fire of desire, and the love of family. Fante writes with passion and clarity. The bottle is full and waiting.-Larry Smith