PIETRO DI DONATO
Writer, Bricklayer
Photo by Eve Arnold, 1958
Pietro Di Donato (1911-1992) remains to this day the preeminent Italian-American writer in American Fiction. His iconic 1939 novel, Christ in Concrete, is recognized as the definitive story depicting the Italian-American Experience.
The site is a unique repository of Di Donato related: photos; memorabilia; interviews; reviews; critical studies; essays and articles about, and by, the writer. Much of what will be appearing here is from the family's collection.
We will be adding new archival and research materials on a regular basis. Di Donato’s works cross numerous fields of study; and our goal is that the site be of interest to the general public and scholar alike.
Pietro Di Donato, lo scrittore muratore: 2011 Italian-made documentary (29 min.)
"It took a card-carrying union bricklayer to write the proletarian novel of the Twentieth Century; "Christ in Concrete" will live on as long as the struggle goes on..." -Fred Gardaphe, Distinguished Professor of English and Italian/American Studies at Queens College/CUNY.