Joseph Bathanti's Fiction Captures Working-Class Pittsburgh

The author's novels and short stories paint a vivid portrait of the city's East Liberty neighborhood in the mid-20th century.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Joseph Bathanti's fiction, including the novel "East Liberty" and short story collections "The High Heart" and "The Act of Contrition & Other Stories," provides a detailed and authentic depiction of working-class life in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood in the 1950s through 1970s. Bathanti, who grew up in the area, draws on his own experiences to create characters and stories that explore themes of class, race, immigration, and the changing urban landscape.

Why it matters

Bathanti's work serves as an important historical and cultural record of a Pittsburgh neighborhood that has undergone significant transformation over the decades, capturing the lives and perspectives of the working-class residents who once called it home. His fiction provides a window into the challenges and tensions faced by these communities, offering insights that are still relevant today as issues of inequality, social justice, and urban development continue to shape the city.

The details

Bathanti's novels and short stories are set in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, which was once home to a diverse mix of Italian immigrants, African Americans, and working-class families. His fiction explores the daily lives and struggles of characters like Bobby Renzo, a young boy navigating the complexities of growing up in a working-class household, and Fritz Sweeney, a character who appears in Bathanti's short story collections. The stories delve into themes of class divides, racial tensions, and the impact of urban renewal and gentrification on the community.

  • Bathanti's novel "East Liberty" is set in the early 1960s.
  • His short story collections "The High Heart" and "The Act of Contrition & Other Stories" explore the lives of characters in East Liberty during the 1950s through 1970s.
  • Bathanti's latest work, the novella "Too Glorious to Even Long for on Certain Days," is set in 1973 and follows the lives of two young men from East Liberty as they navigate the changing landscape of the city.

The players

Joseph Bathanti

An acclaimed author and former poet laureate of North Carolina, Bathanti grew up in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh and has drawn extensively on his experiences and the history of the area in his fiction.

Bobby Renzo

The protagonist of Bathanti's novel "East Liberty," a five-year-old boy navigating the challenges of growing up in a working-class Italian American family in 1960s East Liberty.

Fritz Sweeney

A character who appears in Bathanti's short story collections, Fritz is a young boy from a working-class family who grapples with the complexities of his volatile mother and the changing landscape of East Liberty.

Ron Baraff

The director of historic resources and facilities at Rivers of Steel, Baraff provided insights into the history of how immigrants and migrants settled in different Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

Donna Wojnar Dzurilla

The author of the article, a writer and graduate of Carlow University's MFA program, where she worked with Bathanti as her thesis director.

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What they’re saying

“Place has always been for me two places: the moment in which, with my feet on a particular turf, I'm breathing; and also that other life I've banked like a sheltered bank account in Pittsburgh.”

— Joseph Bathanti

“Using both terms (restorative and social justice) is abiding by shared humanity as our barometer for how we treat people–everyone should have the same opportunities regardless of wealth and education and community standing, color, sexual preferences – rather than class status.”

— Joseph Bathanti

“In the first part of the 20th century, immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, along with African Americans (starting in the 1920s into 30s with the Great Migration from the American South), were attracted to the region by the promise of jobs in the steel industry. Unlike earlier immigrant groups from more industrialized Northern European countries (such as Germans, Scotch-Irish, and English), these new arrivals often lacked specific industrial skills. Instead, they brought physical strength and a willingness to work long hours for low wages, viewing this as a chance to pursue the American dream and improve their families' lives.”

— Ron Baraff, Director of Historic Resources and Facilities at Rivers of Steel

“However, they faced significant barriers to advancement within the mills, with little hope of rising above the most difficult and dangerous jobs. This was not accidental; companies deliberately maintained divisions among workers to prevent collective action or labor unrest.”

— Ron Baraff, Director of Historic Resources and Facilities at Rivers of Steel

“It was purported to have happened. We weren't allowed out, you know, we weren't going no place. Supposedly, they mount a .50 caliber on the roof like that. Whether or not that's true, or just, like, classic swagger and hyperbole...”

— Joseph Bathanti

What’s next

Bathanti's latest work, the novella "Too Glorious to Even Long for on Certain Days," is set to be released in 2025 and will continue his exploration of the lives of working-class characters from East Liberty as they navigate the changing landscape of Pittsburgh in the 1970s.

The takeaway

Through his vivid and authentic depictions of working-class life in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood, Joseph Bathanti's fiction serves as an important record of the city's social and cultural history, highlighting the challenges and resilience of the diverse communities that once called this area home. His work provides a powerful lens through which to understand the lasting impact of class divides, urban renewal, and the changing economic landscape on the lives of ordinary people.