Short Dog: Cab Driver Stories from the L.A. Streets

by Dan Fante, Willy Vlautin (Introduction)

“Soaked in booze and sadness, psychotic eruptions and hilarity.”—Willy VlautinIn the freewheeling, debaucherous tradition of Charles Bukowski, a taxi driver’s stories from the streets of lowlife Los Angeles—with an introduction by Willy Vlautin. “Dan Fante is an authentic literary outlaw.”—New York Times. Dan Fante lived the stories he wrote. His voice has the immediacy of a stranger of the next barstool, of a friend who lives on the edge. As he writes in Short Dog (the title is street slang for a half-pint of alcohol): I had been back working a cabbie gig as a result of my need for money. And insanity. Hack driver is the only occupation I know about with no boss, and because I have always performed poorly at supervised employment, I returned to the taxi business. The up side, now that I was working again, was that my own boozing was under control and I was on beer only, except for my days off.Fante was the son of famed novelist and screenwriter John Fante, but as the Los Angeles Times wrote, the younger Fante “… allows us a glimpse of the Southern California demimonde that surely escaped his father’s attention.”These outsider stories are raw, vivid, and brutally honest. But even when the stories are fueled by anger and disgust, they are punctuated by unexpectedly funny and dark-humored vignettes. Short Dog is for readers ready for a cab ride on the wild side.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, American

101 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 22, 2005

Reviews

[Tom Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A raw, unruly, sad, hilarious little motherfucker of a book. Short Dog is a grim and brilliant masterpiece which I already can't wait to read again.

"(Dan) Fante was my God!" you might hear a young pretender to Bukowski shout... If there was any chance this kind of shit would get published ever again.

[Guy Salvidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short Dog (or Corksucker as it's known in the UK) is probably Dan Fante's best book. Dan's father John was a writer himself, and inspired Charles Bukowski who ended up being far more famous than he. And then, in turn, Dan Fante's work is very much in the vein of Bukowski, except that if anything it is even more unhinged. There's a self-loathing in Dan Fante that makes him a more sympathetic character that Buk. Like his idol, Dan Fante's only subject is himself.

And so what we have here is a collection of eight breathtakingly sordid stories about driving cabs around LA, getting drunk, getting laid and generally behaving like a crazy shitbird. In its way this is high-octane, perhaps even peerless stuff. It puts Bukowski in the shade, which is something I didn't really feel when reading Fante's novels (I've read all of them except his last, Point Doom). To repeat: this would appear to be thinly-veiled autobiography in the style of Bukowski's Post Office, but more so. Go get it.

[Davida Chazan · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories were a bit more gritty than I am used to, but they were well written. Find out more in my review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2021/07/1...

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I found out about Dan's books through posts about his dad- John Fante, the only similarity on the surface is that both write about Los Angeles in specific time periods. This is the first book of Dan's I've read, so I don't know if the cab driver narrator is a crafted character or if these stories are based in real life. If you know downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood streets, the stories are almost cinematic. Other readers may give this a higher grade. I think because some of the stories remind me of an earlier part of my life, when observing crazy situations was almost harder than being a participant in them. I'll go back for more of Dan's work and I hope Danny Bland writes another one.

[Daniel Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

to be frank, i don’t like the “embittered alcoholic ranting and raving at a cruel, unforgiving world” genre of fiction much nowadays. however, i liked how Dan was able to pretty vividly portray these fucked up and borderline irredeemable characters and tell their stories in a way that felt freshly entertaining.

[Mikko Hongisto · Rating 4 out of 5]

En oikein muuta keksi sanoa tästä kuin ”nasty”. Likaisenilkeää, joskus vastenmielistä. Välillä likaisuus menee paskaiseksi eli liialliseksi, suomennettuina ei ehkä toimi niin hyvin härskeimmät jutut.

[Ara Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compilation of short stories. Some are of them are funny and others are quite sad, but all of them are populated with the usual colorful characters that you find in all of Dan Fante's books.

[Tadek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real stuff.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan Fante’s story narrators are bullshitters—drunks who pass the time between sips telling expletive-filled tales of debauchery, drugs, and drinks: scamming detox programs and taxi fares, lying to lovers, issuing threats, raising cane, and so forth—the whole race-to-the-bottom scene. Like his father John’s friend, Charles Bukowski, Fante’s narrators are also closeted men of culture: articulate, well-read, having a sense of good taste but also a taste for self-destruction. (Fante, unlike his father and grandfather, eventually dried out for good.)

In Short Dog, these fictionalized exploits include encounters with a malicious doorman of a swanky hotel; a relationship with a woman whose on-again, off-again nature reflects when the narrator is in or out of detox programs; befriending addicts with a boa whose needs outweigh their own; rolling drunks and getting STDs; and so much more, living down-and-out in L.A. The stories make for fun reading, mainly because they’re read from a safely hygienic distance.

[Louise Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dank, cab driver stories from LA. Published in the US as Short Dogs, Immediately thought oh wow, he must be a John Fante fan. No, it’s only John Fante’s actual son. If you like that kind of dirty realism, drunks & bums in it for the hustle then this one’s for you. Very Bukowski, course and spicy. Kind of interesting that he didn’t stray too far from this theme though. Very visceral stories, you can literally feel the sweat dripping and catch the smell of liquor in the pages.

#Danfante #corksucker #shortdogs #dirtyrealism #cabdriverstories #hustlerfiction @wreckingballpress this copy loaned from @leedslibraries

[Femivegaju · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Fante is a French writer. It is his own words. I am really delighted to have discover such a great author, and I didn't expect to like his work as much as I did. I randomly bought it because I saw on the cover a quote from The New York Times comparing Fante to Bukowski. What a butt, I immediately bought it, and I'm glad to have done it. I can't wait to read his others works, especially novels and poems highly trailered in this book.

Oh, and don't forget, Dan Fante is a French writer. Just saying.

[Bookcat88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

For fans of Dan Fante this will suffice. Otherwise it’s more of Fante’s stories featuring the hard drinking troubled neurotic character Bruno Dante. Some of the stories are an amusing read, others a disappointment. One story is in screenplay format which is particularly bad. Three stars overall.

[Laylay l · Rating 2 out of 5]

toza sor babasını okucakken niye bunu okudum

[Josh Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about Dan Fante's stories is just a bit off — maybe a bit try-hard. But still, there are great moments here, and a couple of these stories will definitely stick with me.

[Hanna Abi Akl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fante is raw and unapologetic. His words cut deep like blades, and his voice is honest throughout. An enthralling read.

[Scott Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was saddened to finish this and realize that the author was dead. I thought it was more contemporary. I like that he’s like Bukowski, to some extent, and hope to read some of his others.

[Steph · Rating 1 out of 5]

everything about this book and author was annoying and boring as hell

[AutomaticSlim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filthy bastard. I'll be glad when I finish all your books. Oh I'll finish them all right, you filthy bastard

[tri · Rating 3 out of 5]

nitty and gritty, leaves you feeling like you have to shower the puke off of yourself after

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe the title is a word play from "cock sucker"? Would fit in nicely, since the characters seem to be a bunch of morons, who also happen to have difficulties in sorting out their lives. "Cork sucker" might mean someone who has problems with alcohol.

I have to say I was slightly disappointed. The stories were relatively entertaining, and some of the characters delightfully crazy (the giant snake story was gross but amusing). As a whole the collection just seemed a bit flat, or maybe I just didn't get the deeper meaning behind it. I usually expect a fantastic idea or some sort of twist in my short stories, so maybe this just didn't have a chance in the first place.

I did appreciate Fante showing us the other side of Los Angeles, it's way more interesting than pumped up Barbies. Fante has been compared to Charles Bukowski, so I'd maybe recommend this to his fans.

[Tetikteol · Rating 4 out of 5]

mm, bir los angeles kaçıklaması olduğundan mütevellit okunmasında bir nevi fayda gördüm. faydalıdır. okunsun. amerikayı görmek istemek birşey değildir. amerikada taksici olmayı istemek, pompacı olmayı istemek, ayyaş olup köprü altlarında sıfırlanmayı istemek; işte budur amerikayı göğsünde uyutmak. onu sevmek. okuyun.

[Rich Osburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

To date, this is my second favorite book of all time. Why? I just love Dan's approach to his stories, and he does a brilliant job of tying it all together in the end. I have read it cover to cover a dozen times, and am always looking for another reason to walk in his shoes once more, and laugh aloud as he takes me down a side of the street I have never known. Brilliant work.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be really good if Dan Fante didn't try to be a better writer than his father. Is that legacy such a burden that he has to remind us every three lines that his characters are desperate, drunk, or broke? The stories are great but smell a bit fake sometimes.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was curious to check out John Fante's kid. He's no slouch. Funny and revolting stories very much in his dad or Bukowski's style. Oddly moving and charming...

[Lapetitesteph]

Trop bien.

[Black Coffee Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

A balls heavy collection.

[Zeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

babasinin izinden giden bir ogul icin fena is cikarmamis. dan'le tanistigim ilk kitapti, fena da degildi.

[J.M. Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty and well-written— love these stories! Very L.A. “noir.”

[Stephane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it but definitely not as good and strong as his previous works.