Ask the Dust

This is a great California novel. It is also a fine mainstream novel with noir overtones. I rank it with the best work of, e.g., Nathanael West, but since it is different in kind I would not attempt to judge it against the work of Chandler, Ellroy, Cain, et al., whose work is monumental in a different way. Ask the Dust is a book in the Arturo Bandini series. Bandini, a close stand-in for Fante himself, is a depression-era writer who has come to L.A. to do his work and find his fortune. He lives in the Bunker Hill neighborhood in a downscale residential hotel. Bandini meets a local waitress, Camilla Lopez, and falls for her. Hard. Unfortunately, Camilla loves another man, who does not reciprocate her love and Arturo is stalked/loved by a Jewish woman from Long Beach whose affections he does not reciprocate. Thus we have two love triangles and a relationship between the principals that is largely doomed from the get-go. The plot is simple: boy meets girl; boy loses girl; boy temporarily gets girl; boy loses girl and seeks her (SPOILER) in the dust and grit of the Mojave desert. Beyond the basic plot, everything is voice and texture. Arturo’s story is one of striving, of desperation, of hunger, of momentary triumph, of loneliness, of singular opportunity and of recalcitrant reality, writ large. The story charts his feelings, his emotions, his angst, his high points and his low. What is it like, precisely, to be a depression-era writer trying to make it in L.A.? It is like this. What is it like to love someone on a nearly epic level, knowing that the relationship is going nowhere fast and is likely to end up in equally epic-level heartache? It is like this. Fante’s narrative voice is pitch-perfect and painful in its spare lyricism. This is the kind of writing for which the novel was created: to explore middle-class experience with the fervor and urgency previously reserved for Sophoclean and Shakespearean tragedy. It is a ‘writerly’ book, but readers should not be put off by that, fearing some hothouse, over-aestheticized bit of craft. The book drips with authenticity and explores the human heart in both neatly-understated and very, very powerful ways. This is the real deal. If you haven’t yet discovered John Fante, now’s your chance. (And read his personal story after you’ve read the novel. Prepare to be moved and a little shaken.)

Just finished. It has a powerful ending; a great; haunting ending that leaves a sickness and a longing and a reminder about the dark side of life. Being a Bukowski fan, I had been meaning to read this, and am glad that I did. It wasn't so much like Bukowski - but i see where Bukowski got a lot of his sparseness and the ways in which he structured his sentences. I think Bukowski was much funnier and had better characters and some brilliant one lines and new ways of saying things - however - this book had a strong dark message that leaves one very aware of life at the end; powerful. It reminded me of the movie Vertigo (but not as clever), or of an old film noir; something with Humphrey Bogart, but more raw and real. Of course there's also Hemingway similarities, short sparse lines and a certain type of character - however, less math and repetition and beautiful scenes that go on for pages, although some of Fante's imagery is great and its all very real for the kind of story that it is - as a writer myself - when it comes to the actual style of the writing - it's very plain and not at all brilliant or unique. Many of his chapter openings hit hard but some of the chapters fall short, imo. There are a few great lines worth highlighting, but not enough - however - on the positive side - the story itself is very well executed, the characters are great, everything flows very smoothly, its short and easy to read and leaves one with a wide array of interesting feelings and thoughts, and for a man who's been through similar situations - its worth the read. However - I will say this - as a writer myself - I saw somebody saying that Arturo Bandini is warm, and gentle - I didn't take him like that, although he kind of appears that way - yet he's certainly more mean than he even comes off toward Camilla if you pick up on more of the subtleties - bitter for certain, long before he's blessed with her ending. The character really embellishes and builds himself up and sets himself apart from the other in a certain way, but I guess that's his macho character, in certain ways that I think draw from the story - he doesn't show his more lowly or vulnerable side as good as I think he should have - but that's ok - there is still an honesty in how he identifies with his emotions, being used and unloved and still giving and traveling on through the broken dreams - but I also think the author has a more deceptive side that only certain other writers would get.

Asombrado de que fuera la inspiración de Bukowski

The best book I have read in s long, long while. Amazingly original and fresh. Love story told with passion and honesty. Delves deep into the human psyche.

Je ne connaissais pas John Fante avant de le découvrir dans cet excellent roman dont le titre est magnifique. Le vécu de ce héros, qui n'est autre que l'auteur lui-même, est plutôt pathétique et suscite un très grand intérêt et beaucoup d'émotions. Le style est très sobre, direct, sans pathos avec un regard très ironique sur les américains et sur l'Amérique et, en particulier, le Los Angeles de l'époque. C'est un auteur est de la veine des Steinbeck, Faulkner ou Hemingway et je me suis empressée de commander d'autres de ses ouvrages. .

Einfach kaufen, lesen, mitten in der Seite aufhören um das Gelesene zu verarbeiten und dann weiterlesen. John Fante ist m.M.n einer der Underground-Urväter und war seiner Zeit weit voraus. Kein Wort zu viel, die Augen fließen der Seite rauf und runter. Wozu andere, weniger begnadete Autoren, 500 Seiten benötigen, liefert uns John Fante auf knapp 170 Seiten. Kenner von Bukowski, Kerouac, Hemingway, etc. sollten hier blind zugreifen.

Brilliant read. Only disappointment is that I never found this book earlier.