Gloria Vitanza Basile
Gloria Vitanza Basile (June 29, 1929 – September 29, 2004) was an American novelist and songwriter.
Gloria Vitanza Basile | |
---|---|
Born | Gloria Vitanza June 29, 1929 Westfield, New York |
Died | September 29, 2004 75) San Jose, California | (aged
Education | San Jose University UCLA |
Genre | Romantic thriller Science fiction |
Notable works | The Godson (1976) |
She was born in Westfield, New York, in 1929 to Sicilian immigrant parents. She studied at San Jose University and the University of California - Los Angeles. Before she began her writing career, she owned and managed a women's clothing shop.[1] She published 13 best-selling novels, mainly romantic thrillers and later science fiction. She also wrote the song, "Ballad of One-Eyed Jacks," for the film, One-Eyed Jacks (1961), starring Marlon Brando.[2]
Her best known novel is The Godson (1976), later renamed House of Lions, about a Mafia family; at the time, this was an unusual topic for women writers.[3] In an interview, Basile said her childhood experiences with prejudice against Sicilians inspired her to research her roots, and resulted in The Godson and another novel, Appassionato (1978), set in post-war Sicily.[1]
She published two novels under the pen name Michaela Morgan.[4]
Works
- The Godson / House of Lions (1976)
- Appassionato (1978)
- The Manipulators Trilogy
- The Manipulators (1979)
- Born to Power (1979)
- Giants in the Shadows (1979)
- Marco (1980)
- Francesca (1981)
- Global 2000 Trilogy
- Eye of the Eagle (1983)
- The Jackal Helix (1984)
- The Sting of the Scorpion (1984)
- Iago, Phaedra[1]
- Aurora[1]
- Bethaynia[1]
As Michaela Morgan:
- Zanzara (1978)
- Madelaina (1979)
References
- Romano, Anne T. (2010). "Gloria Vitanza Basile (1929- )". Daughters of Italy: The Journey of Italian American Women Writers. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9781453547823.
- "Gloria Vitanza Basile". San Jose Mercury News. October 12, 2004. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017.
- LaGumina, Salvatore J.; et al. (2003). The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 700. ISBN 9781135583330.
- "Books by Gloria Vitanza Basile". Goodreads.