From The Peopling of New York City
From an early time, Italian Americans were involved in the arts of New York. Notable among them are Luigi Arditi who was the composer for James Fennimore Cooper’s The Spy; Alvatore Patti of the famous Astor Place Opera House; Luigi Palma de Cesnola who was a director of the MET; Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra the singing sensation of the 1940s and 50s; the famous tenor Mario Lanza; television star Perry Como and many others. [1]
In the world of literature, the works of Pietro DiDonato , Lawrence Ferlinghetti, John Ciardi and Mario Puzo are notable.
Pietro DiDonato—author of Christ in Concrete that explored the struggle of immigrants to survive in an unfriendly America where the lives of everyone circled around the cruel and unforgiving job. The influence of religion in the lives in Italian American immigrants is also discussed.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti— owned a San Francisco Bookstore that was an intellectual hub for artists.
John Ciardi- translated Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Mario Puzo—author of the novel-turned-movie The Godfather and also The Fortunate pilgrim. [2]
Citations
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