John Fante is an American writer.
Ask the Dust is the most popular novel of Italian-American author John Fante , first published in 1939 and set during the Great Depression-era in Los Angeles . John Fante ( April 8 , 1909 -- May 8 , 1983 ) was an Italian-American novelist , short story writer and screenwriter . 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 . 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 .