Dan Fante (1 Viewer)

[Bill Sikes]

Trying too hard

Very juvenile stuff. Who told him he could write? I read him, for the same reason he got published - he's Fante's son!

 

[bospress.net]

Hey, there's a surprise. You don't like his writing.

Also, I'm not exactly sure that the folks at HarperCollins expected the massive crowd of John Fante readers to buy his books. John Fante was a great writer, but most people that walk into Borders have not heard of him. If his last name was Hemingway I could see that.

Bill

 

[LickTheStar]

Yeah the average reader hasn't heard of John Fante. Any time someone needs a rec at work, I always pull out Ask the Dust. I still have yet to meet anyone who has (convincingly) heard of John Fante.

 

[pig ear press]

Borders in the UK had big posters up promoting his work a couple of months ago. I don't know if that turned into sales, but they were trying. It was all part of some promotion along the lines of 'The Greatest Writers You've Never Read', or some such obvious line. They still have a crappy poetry section though.

 

[LickTheStar]

That's good news. I've been under the impression that he's doing ok in the UK just because that's where the first couple of Dan Fante books I came across were printed and sold. Glad to hear they were promoting him as a good writer.

My store has a similar program called "Discover Great New Writers" and about 60% of the time, the author is actually new (the other 40% of the time the author has had a bestseller or two, like the author of Eat, Pray, Love or the author of The Time Traveler's Wife).

And almost all book stores have shitty poetry sections. Well the exception would be the largest of the corporate chains and the indie literary stores...

 

[Craig Silva]

Alright so I just finished Spitting Off Tall Buildings (getting 86'd tonight) - I am a bit confused - according to various websites the order goes Chump Change > Mooch > Spitting Off Tall Buildings.

SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HASNT READ THESE **

I'm not sure if they are in no specific order - and maybe Spitting Off Tall Buildings is supposed to be the first one chronologically? In Chump Change he comes from NY to LA for his Father's funeral - has the mash up with his (ex)wife and his brother. Then in Mooch he's still in LA and eventually at the end seemingly (not legally) adopts Jimmi's son. Then in Spitting Off Tall Buildings he is back in NY and seems to have never been there before - doesn't know the streets, public transit system, etc - but in the first novel he has been living there with his wife? If you could shed any light on this for me it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Craig Silva]

Nevermind, I talked to him and he said "Yeah, SPITTING should be first in the order for reading. I'd written the first two then realized I left something out, so then I went back." - whoops, my fault guys!

 

[Carterofmars]

Big fish eats little fish!

Little fish takes big shit in big fishes mouth. :p

 

[LickTheStar]

Alright! Dan Fante's newest book Fante: A Family's Legacy of Writing, Drinking, and Surviving will be out August 30th! I've been waiting for this for awhile...

 

[whatsayjew]

Anyone read the aforementioned memoir yet? Still waiting for the UK release.

 

[bospress.net]

I have it here, but have not had the time to read it yet.

It seems to be a very complete memoir, though.

Bill

 

[Hosh]

I can't say enough good things about the book. It's a brisk, sweeping read -- covers a lot of ground, and does so courageously. I'm not a fast reader, but I tore through it in days -- always a sign of an engaging read for me.