Dan Fante, author and playwright, Died at 71

  Media, Writers

Daniel Smart “Dan” Fante was born on February 19, 1944, and died on November 23, 2015.

He was an American author and playwright. Daniel was born in Los Angeles.

Chump Change, Mooch, 86’d and Spitting Off Tall Buildings comprise a trilogy about Fante’s hard living alter-ego Bruno Dante.

Chump Change found publication in France originally, before being published in the US by Sun Dog Press.

The trilogy was then published by United Kingdom publisher Canongate.

Short Dog is a collection of short stories about Fante’s life as a cab driver in LA.

Daniel was the son of acclaimed novelist John Fante whose writing came back into vogue after Charles Bukowski declared him “my God”, and wrote the introduction to the reprint of Fante’s seminal novel about life in Los Angeles, Ask the Dust.

As well as novels and short stories, Daniel is the author of two plays – “The Closer / The Boiler Room” described by the Los Angeles Times as “ferociously profane”, and “Don Giovanni”, about which 3:AM Magazine said: “For those who want to know what is REALLY going on in post-modern American literature right now, Don Giovanni should be essential reading.”

Both plays are published in book form by Long Beach publisher Burning Shore Press.

Daniel is also the author of A Gin-Pissing-Raw-Meat-Dual-Carburetor-V8-Son-Of-A-Bitch From Los Angeles, a volume of poetry on Wrecking Ball Press.

Daniel Fante passed away on November 23, 2015 in Los Angeles at the age of 71.