John Fante

in association with Il Centro, Quotidiano d'Abruzzo

These pages are a homage that started in 1998 on the site abruzzo2000.com and the Abruzzese newspaper "il Centro" to John Fante, the American writer whose ancestors came from Torricella Peligna, Italy, in the early 1900's, and to his son Dan, a remarkable writer himself and playwright.

Web site sections:

biography, where John Fante's earthly travel is described;
books of John Fante published in English and Italian translations;
articles on John Fante and Dan Fante published on the Abruzzo daily paper il Centro, whose reproduction here is by courtesy of both the paper and the author Paolo Di Vincenzo
a biography of Dan Fante
books by Dan Fante published in English and Italian translations;
a gallery of vintage photos of the Fantes
pagina dei link, con articoli e recensioni da altre fonti

Acknowledgements:

Il Centro, Quotidiano d'Abruzzo
Paolo Di Vincenzo, author of the articles
Editore Fazi, for kind permissiom to publish photographs from "Lettere 1932-1981".
Lorenzo Bolognini, creator of the best Italian site on John Fante, johnfante.it, no more on line, who greatly helped the development of these pages.
Albert Porreca, originary of Torricella as well and awarded the Torricella nel Mondo Prize in 2007, webmaster and co-founder of torricellapeligna.com, for revising the English translations and invaluable advice; Albert passed away on 15 September 2008.

Comments:

We have here the pleasure to publish Dan Fante's comment to the joint work of Abruzzo2000 and "il Centro", reproduced here courtesy of Paolo Di Vincenzo and Dan:
" Paolo,
I've just had the opportunity to scan the Abruzzo2000 web site. Excellent work. Just excellent. Please extend my compliments to all those who made it possible.
As you know I am fortunate enough to be a frequent visitor to Abruzzo. I have walked her beaches and felt the quiet magnificence of her mountains and forests. I confess that I continue to be struck dumb by her beauty and humbled by the genuineness and kindness of her people. I love this land of my fathers. So much of who I am today I owe to Abruzzo. To the sweat and humor of my people. My blood line. Men like my grandfather who lived and toiled on the stony slopes of Torricella Peligna beneath the great mountain. In my very breath I carry the DNA of a story teller from her streets.
So, again, congratulations on the web site. I hope we can share the wonder of this place with as many people as possible. For me there will never be anything in the world like Abruzzo. May God bless every speck of bread and glass of wine spilled in laughter and tears in her streets. And may God forever bless my beautiful Abruzzo.
Dan Fante"

questa pagina in italiano

john fante:

dan fante:

other resources: