Friday May 16 2025, 18:30 (Local time). Italian Cultural Institute @INNOVIT, 710 Sansome St, San Francisco, CA. John Fante has been defined by critics as a “real American writer” and as one of the most representative Californian writers of the 20th century. He was also labelled a “god of literature” by Charles Bukowski.

While his prose burnt with desire and ambitions, his dreams often clashed against the hard edges of post-depression American social landscape. He waded the troubled waters of his time lending a profound and compassionate voice to a generation of integration-seeking migrants, betraying a conflictual yet profound relationship with his Italian and Catholic background.