Anthony Dale Gagliano's Obituary
Miami based writer Anthony Gagliano, whose first novel Straits of Fortune was one of the New York Times’ top summer reading picks of 2007, died June 4th, of complications following a stroke.
Born and raised in New York City, Gagliano graduated from Queens College of the City University of New York and worked as a cab driver, a school teacher, an insurance agent, a bouncer and a house detective at the Saint Moritz Hotel, before heading south to Florida. There, he finally found home.
Miami Beach inspired Gagliano, with its sun and shadows, its surprises and contradictions and its mix of people pursuing sun-baked dreams. While he began writing as a freelancer, he worked as a personal trainer and taught a unique, eclectic exercise class that combined cardio training, dance and even elements of his own javelin-throwing technique. There he met his future wife, Lana Callen. With her by his side, he was able to focus his energy on his writing.
His love of writing began in childhood, when he discovered comic books and superhero adventure stories, with their clear sense of right and wrong; where the good and strong triumph over the weak and evil. Years later, he would combine this strong moral core with his innate generosity and empathy to forge his mature style.
Gagliano earned his master’s degree in creative writing under his mentor and friend, Dan Wakefield, the Writer In Residence at Florida International University. Wakefield compares Gagliano’s writing to Dashiell Hammett’s and says his former student’s debut novel is a “thriller as hot and hip as the Miami scene it so memorably portrays.”
That novel, Straits of Fortune, revolves around the magnetic character of reluctant hero Jack Vaughn, a disgraced New York City cop, who has escaped south, only to find himself drawn into an only-in-Miami adventure. When it was published in 2007, New York Times critic Janet Maslin named it to her best summer beach book list, calling it “a memorably crisp debut…a plausibly noir narrative rich with the requisite heat and duplicity “.
Fans of Jack Vaughn and the writer who created him will agree with fellow Miami crime novelist, Tim Dorsey’s original review. "Anthony Gagliano is a welcome and powerful new voice in the Florida crime scene, deftly gene-splicing Mike Hammer and Miami Vice as he takes the beach by storm. Only complaint: I'm left hanging for the follow-up."
Anthony Dale Gagliano was born on September 16th, 1955. In addition to his only novel, his work was published in periodicals, including Muscle Mag and Gulfstream. His short story, “Blown Away”, about a schoolteacher and a traumatized police officer in the wake of Hurricane Andrew, was selected for the anthology, Miami Noir, from Akashic Books.
Gagliano was a member of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, the Author's Guild and Phi Kappa Phi of FIU. He is survived by his wife, Lana Callen, their children Chantal and Laurent Gloor and his daughter Paulina Gagliano.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 6th from 4:00 to 7:00 at the Van Orsdel Chapel in Miami, 3333 NE 2nd Ave In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Plan USA at www.planusa.org.
What’s your fondest memory of Anthony Dale?
What’s a lesson you learned from Anthony Dale?
Share a story where Anthony Dale's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Anthony Dale you’ll never forget.
How did Anthony Dale make you smile?