Ask the Dust

John Fante

The novel tells the gritty tale of Arturo Bandini, a young Italian-American writer in 1930s Los Angeles. Struggling in poverty, he becomes enamored with the elusive Camilla Lopez, a Mexican waitress.

First published in 1939 and set during the Great Depression era in Los Angeles. It is one of a series of novels featuring the character Arturo Bandini as Fante's alter ego, a young Italian-American from Colorado struggling to make it as a writer in Los Angeles. The novel is widely regarded as an American classic.