Westlich von Rom

Fante's protagonists are closely linked to his own fate. It soon becomes apparent how conflictual life in the USA was for a strictly Catholic, Italian immigrant family. "West of Rome" is the aggravation of all family problems; here Fante sums up what he has to say in connection with family and marriage. This book is a declaration of love-hate for the family in literary history. West of Rome was published posthumously in 1986 by Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa and in 1987 in German by Eichborn, Frankfurt. Out of print for many years, the entire American original edition is published in German for the first time in our edition: the novel is accompanied by the story "The Orgy".