Pietro Di Donato
Encyclopedia
Pietro Di Donato was an American writer and bricklayer best known for his novel, Christ in Concrete
, which recounts of the life and times of his bricklayer father, Geremio, who was killed in 1923 in a building collapse. The book, which portrayed the world of New York's Italian-American construction workers during The Great Depression, was hailed by critics in the United States and abroad as a metaphor for the immigrant experience in America, and cast di Donato as is one of the most celebrated Italian American
novelists of the mid-20th century.
, New Jersey
(now Union City
) to Geremio, a bricklayer, and Annunziata Chinquina. He had seven other siblings. His parents had emigrated from the town of Vasto
, in the region of Abruzzo
in Italy
.
On March 30, 1923, Geremio di Donato died when a building collapsed on him, burying him in concrete. Pietro, who was twelve at the time, left school in the seventh grade to become a construction worker in the trade union
in order to help support his family. He retained his membership in the union his entire life. His father's death and his life growing up as an immigrant in West Hoboken were the inspiration for his writings. When his mother died a few years later, Pietro assumed full responsibility for providing for his family. Though he had little formal education, during a strike in the building trades he had wandered into a library and discovered French
and Russian
novels, becoming particularly fond of Emile Zola
. He also took night classes at City College in construction and engineering. The family was eventually able to move to Northport, Long Island, where he continued to work as a mason, and was inspired by Zola's work to write about his own experiences in the Italian immigrant community.
magazine, and was subsequently after expanded in a full, blue-collar proletarian novel with an introduction by Arnold Gingrich
. The book remained on best-seller lists for months, and was eventually chosen for the Book of the Month Club
main selection, edging out John Steinbeck
's The Grapes of Wrath
, which was published the same year. According to Allen Barra in an interview for Salon.com
, the novel became an instant classic, and standard reading for second-generation Italian-Americans. Screenwriter Ben Barzman
, who wrote the screenplay into which the novel was adapted, called it "the first of its kind", and The National Italian American Foundation called it "rare." Charles Poore, writing in The New York Times
on Sept. 15, 1939, described the book as "eloquent" and "Italian to the core...by turns operatic, lyrical, ferocious and hilarious", and commented, "It was something rare, a proletarian novel written by a proletarian." It was included in Edward O'Brien's Best Short Stories of 1938.
The novel was adapted into the 1949 film Give Us This Day
(U.S. title: "Christ in Concrete"), written by Ben Barzman, and directed by blacklisted filmmaker Edward Dmytryk
. It won awards at festivals across Europe, such as the 1949 Venice Film Festival
, though it was effectively banned from the United States
at the time, and was only shown in a single theatre.
In 1958 di Donato wrote his second novel, a sequel to Christ in Concrete called This Woman. It continued the story of di Donato's life following his father's death, and focused on his spiritual conflict and obsessive sensuality. In 1960 a third book in the same tradition called Three Circles of Light, focused on di Donato's childhood in the years prior to his father's death. That same year, di Donato published The Immigrant Saint: The Life of Mother Cabrini, a fictionalized account of Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first United States citizen to canonized
. It was well-received, and named a main selection of the Catholic Book Club and Maryknoll Book Club in 1961. Though critics felt that di Donato's later works never achieved the quality of Christ in Concrete, Immigrant Saint became a cult classic
.
The following year di Donato published The Penitent, an account of contrition and spiritual rebirth of the man who killed the twelve-year-old St. Maria Goretti. His last book-length publication was Naked Author, a collection of reprinted stories from his longer works.
In 1978 his article on the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro
(president of the Christian Democratic Party of Italy
), titled "Christ in Plastic", appeared in Penthouse magazine, and won the Overseas Press Club. Di Donato later adapted the article into a play entitled Moro.
to World War II
, Di Donato, while working as a forester in a Cooperstown, New York
Quaker camp, met former showgirl
Helen Dean. They would married in 1943, in a ceremony performed by New York City's Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, and move to Setauket, Long Island. They had two sons, Peter and Richard, and a stepdaughter, Harriet Mull.
He is the subject of the book Pietro DiDonato, the Master Builder by Matthew Diomede, published by Bucknell University Press in 1995.
The town of Union City, New Jersey
dedicated Pietro di Donato Square on May 22, 2010. The Square, which is located at Bergenline Avenue and 31st Street, where Donato once lived, includes a plaque commemorating his life and work. Di Donato's son, Richard, was present at the ceremony.
Christ in Concrete
Christ in Concrete is a 1939 novel by Pietro Di Donato about Italian-American construction workers. The book, which made Di Donato famous, was originally published by Esquire Magazine as a short story and was expanded into a novel by Di Donato....
, which recounts of the life and times of his bricklayer father, Geremio, who was killed in 1923 in a building collapse. The book, which portrayed the world of New York's Italian-American construction workers during The Great Depression, was hailed by critics in the United States and abroad as a metaphor for the immigrant experience in America, and cast di Donato as is one of the most celebrated Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
novelists of the mid-20th century.
Early life
Di Donato was born April 3, 1911 in West HobokenWest Hoboken, New Jersey
West Hoboken was a municipality that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, from 1861 to 1925.West Hoboken was originally incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 28, 1861, from portions of North Bergen Township. The township was reincorporated on...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(now Union City
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
) to Geremio, a bricklayer, and Annunziata Chinquina. He had seven other siblings. His parents had emigrated from the town of Vasto
Vasto
Vasto is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of the Province of Chieti in southern Abruzzo, Italy. The population is now just over 40,000.-History:According to tradition, the town was founded by Diomedes, the Greek hero...
, in the region of Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
On March 30, 1923, Geremio di Donato died when a building collapsed on him, burying him in concrete. Pietro, who was twelve at the time, left school in the seventh grade to become a construction worker in the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
in order to help support his family. He retained his membership in the union his entire life. His father's death and his life growing up as an immigrant in West Hoboken were the inspiration for his writings. When his mother died a few years later, Pietro assumed full responsibility for providing for his family. Though he had little formal education, during a strike in the building trades he had wandered into a library and discovered French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
novels, becoming particularly fond of Emile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
. He also took night classes at City College in construction and engineering. The family was eventually able to move to Northport, Long Island, where he continued to work as a mason, and was inspired by Zola's work to write about his own experiences in the Italian immigrant community.
Career
Christ in Concrete was published as a short story in the March 1937 issue of EsquireEsquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine, and was subsequently after expanded in a full, blue-collar proletarian novel with an introduction by Arnold Gingrich
Arnold Gingrich
Arnold Gingrich was the editor of, and, along with publisher David A. Smart, co-founder of Esquire magazine. He created the magazine in 1933 and remained its editor until 1961...
. The book remained on best-seller lists for months, and was eventually chosen for the Book of the Month Club
Book of the Month Club
The Book of the Month Club is a United States mail-order book sales club that offers a new book each month to customers.The Book of the Month Club is part of a larger company that runs many book clubs in the United States and Canada. It was formerly the flagship club of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc...
main selection, edging out John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
's The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962....
, which was published the same year. According to Allen Barra in an interview for Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, the novel became an instant classic, and standard reading for second-generation Italian-Americans. Screenwriter Ben Barzman
Ben Barzman
Ben Barzman was a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, and novelist. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, and died in Santa Monica, California, USA. He is best known as a writer or co-writer of more than 20 films, from You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith to The Head of Normande St...
, who wrote the screenplay into which the novel was adapted, called it "the first of its kind", and The National Italian American Foundation called it "rare." Charles Poore, writing in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on Sept. 15, 1939, described the book as "eloquent" and "Italian to the core...by turns operatic, lyrical, ferocious and hilarious", and commented, "It was something rare, a proletarian novel written by a proletarian." It was included in Edward O'Brien's Best Short Stories of 1938.
The novel was adapted into the 1949 film Give Us This Day
Give Us This Day
Give Us This Day is a 1949 British film, directed by Edward Dmytryk. It was released in the United States as Christ in Concrete. Another alternate title was Salt and the Devil....
(U.S. title: "Christ in Concrete"), written by Ben Barzman, and directed by blacklisted filmmaker Edward Dmytryk
Edward Dmytryk
Edward Dmytryk was an American film director who was amongst the Hollywood Ten, a group of blacklisted film industry professionals who served time in prison for being in contempt of Congress during the McCarthy-era 'red scare'.-Early life:Dmytryk was born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada,...
. It won awards at festivals across Europe, such as the 1949 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, though it was effectively banned from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the time, and was only shown in a single theatre.
In 1958 di Donato wrote his second novel, a sequel to Christ in Concrete called This Woman. It continued the story of di Donato's life following his father's death, and focused on his spiritual conflict and obsessive sensuality. In 1960 a third book in the same tradition called Three Circles of Light, focused on di Donato's childhood in the years prior to his father's death. That same year, di Donato published The Immigrant Saint: The Life of Mother Cabrini, a fictionalized account of Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first United States citizen to canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
. It was well-received, and named a main selection of the Catholic Book Club and Maryknoll Book Club in 1961. Though critics felt that di Donato's later works never achieved the quality of Christ in Concrete, Immigrant Saint became a cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
.
The following year di Donato published The Penitent, an account of contrition and spiritual rebirth of the man who killed the twelve-year-old St. Maria Goretti. His last book-length publication was Naked Author, a collection of reprinted stories from his longer works.
In 1978 his article on the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro
Aldo Moro
Aldo Moro was an Italian politician and the 39th Prime Minister of Italy, from 1963 to 1968, and then from 1974 to 1976. He was one of Italy's longest-serving post-war Prime Ministers, holding power for a combined total of more than six years....
(president of the Christian Democratic Party of Italy
Christian Democracy (Italy)
Christian Democracy was a Christian democratic party in Italy. It was founded in 1943 as the ideological successor of the historical Italian People's Party, which had the same symbol, a crossed shield ....
), titled "Christ in Plastic", appeared in Penthouse magazine, and won the Overseas Press Club. Di Donato later adapted the article into a play entitled Moro.
Personal life
In 1942, after registering as a conscientious objectorConscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Di Donato, while working as a forester in a Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
Quaker camp, met former showgirl
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
Helen Dean. They would married in 1943, in a ceremony performed by New York City's Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, and move to Setauket, Long Island. They had two sons, Peter and Richard, and a stepdaughter, Harriet Mull.
Death and legacy
Di Donato died of bone cancer January 19, 1992 in Stony Brook, Long Island, with his last unfinished novel, Gospels, unpublished.He is the subject of the book Pietro DiDonato, the Master Builder by Matthew Diomede, published by Bucknell University Press in 1995.
The town of Union City, New Jersey
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
dedicated Pietro di Donato Square on May 22, 2010. The Square, which is located at Bergenline Avenue and 31st Street, where Donato once lived, includes a plaque commemorating his life and work. Di Donato's son, Richard, was present at the ceremony.