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.
The novel was inspired by the death of Di Donato's father in a construction accident on Good Friday in 1923. It tells the story of a bricklayer and his struggle to provide a home for his family.
As indicated by the title, the novel is noted for its rich religious imagery, presented in a largely modernist stream-of-conciousness style. It was adapted into a 1949 motion picture, Give Us This Day (U.S. title Christ in Concrete) and was directed by Edward Dmytryk.
Famous quotes containing the words christ and/or concrete:
“Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
—Bible: New Testament, Philippians 2:9.
“Total loyalty is possible only when fidelity is emptied of all concrete content, from which changes of mind might naturally arise.”
—Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)