Wait Until Spring, Bandini

Book 1 of The Saga of Arturo Bandini--John Fante's First Published Novel

"Of this I am sure: all the of the people of my writing life, all of my characters are to be found in this early work. Nothing of myself is there any more, only the memory of old bedrooms, and the sound of my mother's slippers walking to the kitchen." -from the Preface to this edition by John Fante

He came along, kicking the snow. Here was a disgusted man. His name was Svevo Bandini, and he lived three blocks down that street. He was cold and there were holes in his shoes. That morning he had patched the holes on the inside with pieces of cardboard from a macaroni box. The macaroni in that box was not paid for. He had thought of that as he placed the cardboard inside his shoes.

He came along, kicking the snow. Here was a disgusted man. His name was Svevo Bandini, and he lived three blocks down that street. He was cold and there were holes in his shoes. That morning he had patched the holes on the inside with pieces of cardboard from a macaroni box. The macaroni in that box was not paid for. He had thought of that as he placed the cardboard inside his shoes.

"Arturo's funny, outrageous delusions of grandeur begin at an early age, as when he discovers a picture of his mother in her youth." - New York Times

"A first novel, brief, virile, written with definite artistry...Fante can write!" - Kirkus

"On the surface it is a tender and lyrical account of the traumas of adolescence...The real strength of the book, however, lies in its depiction of the parents and its balanced sympathies." - The Guardian