John Fante: A Literary Portrait (Essay Series 39) (Paperback)

by Richard Collins (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A perfect literary portrait, for it gives life to an interesting subject" -- Jay Martin, Always Merry and Bright, The Life of Henry Miller

Product Description
Richard Collins sets out to tell the John Fante story through the analysis of his books.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 303 pages
• Publisher: Guernica Editions Inc.; 1 edition (December 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550710710
• ISBN-13: 978-1550710717
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,969,355 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Ah, If Only The Dead Could Talk, November 15, 2002

By A Customer

I knew John Fante. We worked together at screenwriting in Los Angeles. While I started out wanting to applaud Mr. Collins' efforts at capturing his subject, again and again in reading this book I came upon unsubstantiated assumptions that I know to be in part or wholly inaccurate. Collins is a decent enough writer but here he takes on alchemy and produces too much hot air. Comparatively, Steven Coopers biography of Fante was at least workmanlike and based on interviews with Fante's widow, Joyce, and Fante's family. Conversely, Mr. Collins' effort appears to be fundamentally realized by intellectual assertion and personal specualtion. Having know Fante I cannot recommend this work. At best too much of it is guesswork and at worst it is insulting to its subject. I have no wish to be unkind to Mr. Collins but I do recommend that he stick to writing about what he actually knows.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fante Revealed, August 4, 2000

By	Dana Wilde (Troy, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This book provides an excellent account of the California screenwriter and novelist's life, and an eminently readable interpretation of his works in terms of his life as an Italian-American author. This is essential reading for anyone interested in Fante and in the Italian-American experience.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant portrait, October 30, 2003

By A Customer

This is a brilliant portrait of a misunderstood and underestimated author. I recommend it to any student of California literature.