John Fante

IT was on a bus tour of 100-year-old ghost stories that two L.A. history freaks hit a speed bump on their journey into the city's most obscure corners. "The problem with that tour," says Richard Schave, one of the movers behind a new tour series called Esotouric, "was that all the buildings were gone. So I was sitting in the back of the bus, and everybody was just \o7lost\f7."

Back when Bunker Hill really was a hill and Pershing Square was packed with lush palms, the young writer John Fante roved through downtown Los Angeles in search of stories and fame. He struggled to write his first fiction in a cheap room in the hillside Alta Vista hotel, clambering down the nearby Angels Flight stairs to explore the city and rub shoulders with its charming, seedy characters. For those who revere the work of the acclaimed novelist, Bunker Hill is sacred ground.

JOHN FANTE'S "Ask the Dust" is among the ur-texts of Los Angeles literature, a book that, nearly 70 years after its initial appearance, still offers a vivid portrait of the city's life.

This is a big night for John Fante, and for his son, Dan, who is proud of the old man, even if he doesn't often say so. Dan needs to be in the right mood to speak well of John, and tonight you can see in his smile, he's in the right mood. Tonight Dan is setting aside the bad memories, the sorrow and rage and resentment over John, for a few hours. For as long as any son can set aside such things. Many consider Dan's father the best novelist Los Angeles has ever produced.

As the trustees of the John Fante estate, we are deeply troubled by the many misrepresentations in J.R. Moehringer's article ("Where Father Ends and Son Begins," The Generations Issue, April 30). Our primary concern pertains to the depiction of our father, John Fante, as a raging alcoholic. He was not an alcoholic, nor was he raging. He did drink on occasion and was somewhat moody at times, but the depiction of him in the article is pure fiction and is simply wrong. He has an active and flourishing literary career 23 years after his death, and to taint his image erroneously is irresponsible journalism.

The literary papers of the late Los Angeles novelist John Fante have been acquired by the UCLA Library, it was announced Tuesday. The collection features his book manuscripts, short stories and screenplays, as well as personal letters, business records and memorabilia such as his typewriter, pencil and a lock of his hair. "We are delighted to announce this noteworthy acquisition in conjunction with the centennial of Fante's birth on April 8," said UCLA University Librarian Gary E. Strong in a statement.