John Fante was killed in 1909.
John Fante ( April 8 , 1909 -- May 8 , 1983 ) was an Italian-American novelist , short story writer and screenwriter . A movie of the same name was made in 2006 , starring Colin Farrell . His screen credits include , most notably , Full of Life ( 1956 ) , based on his 1952 novel by that name , Jeanne Eagels ( 1957 ) , and the 1962 films Walk on the Wild Side and The Reluctant Saint .