The first step, then, in this process of renewal is to identify worthwhile Italian American authors. The second step, which is very exciting and deeply rewarding, is to read, study, discuss and write about their works.
Who are these important Italian American authors? Well, there are many, but a good place to begin is with Pietro Di Donato, John Fante, and Helen Barolini. These names are not well known and that’s a shame because these authors have produced some of the most poignant, passionate, complex, and aesthetically pleasing American literature ever written, and it just happens to be about the real Italian American experience.
Pietro Di Donato (1911-1992) wan an Italian immigrant bricklayer inspired to write his first novel, Christ in Concrete, by the accidental death of his immigrant father on Good Friday, 1923. The book was published in 1934 and became an instant bestseller, read by thousands of second-generation Italian Americans. The reviewers were also very enthusiastic about the book: The New Yorker praised the writing for its “white-hot passion” and the Saturday Review called it “robust” and “full-blooded.” The novel, written in a poetic form of English based on Italian syntax, tells the story of an immigrant bricklayer named Geremio and the effect of his accidental death on his family, especially young Paulie, who must quit school to go to work as a bricklayer on the same site in order to help the family survive during the Depression in New York City. It is also the story of the Italian immigrant community that rallied to their support. Geremio, Paulie, and his mother Annunziata . . . they are unforgettable characters.
John Fante (1909-1983) was born in Colorado, went to parochial schools there, and attended the University of Colorado. He began writing at age 20 and published his first story in H. L. Mencken’s magazine, The American Mercury, four years later. Fante developed into a prolific short story writer and his work appeared in numerous magazines, including Collier’s and Esquire. In 1938, his first novel came out. Wait Until Spring, Bandini is a realistic depiction of the young Arturo Bandini and his family. Svevo Bandini, Arturo’s father, is a bricklayer from Abruzzi who emigrated to the American West. Living in Colorado, he is angry
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