John Fante is a writer.
John Fante . He is best known for his semi-autobiographical novel Ask the Dust ( 1939 ) about the life of a struggling writer , Arturo Bandini , in Depression-era Los Angeles . Fante published five novels , one novella , and a short story collection . Walk on the Wild Side (film) . The film had a star-studded cast , including Laurence Harvey , Capucine , Jane Fonda , Anne Baxter , and Barbara Stanwyck , and was scripted by John Fante .