This scrupulously edited and annotated collection throws extraordinary light on the genesis, composition and publication of The Ginger Man, a masterpiece that censors and critics could not stop, going on to sell 50 million copies worldwide.
The riveting backstory of the classic novel set in post-war bohemian Dublin is finally told in 220 intimate and revealing letters between author J.P. Donleavy and his Trinity College Dublin friends Gainor Steven Crist and Arthur Kenneth Donoghue, inspirations for the main characters, Sebastian Dangerfield and Kenneth O’Keefe.
Spanning the late 1940s to the early 1980s, the letters create a compelling narrative, told in three distinct voices, that reads like Donleavy fiction – hilarious, reflective and brawling by turn, always revealing of these colourful individuals, the special time and place they shared and what came after as they ventured into the wider world.
Among the many interesting people popping up in the letters are: Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh, Trinity pals James Hillman and George Roy Hill, Maurice Girodias who published The Ginger Man becoming embroiled in a 21-year legal battle with the author, Seymour Lawrence who published Donleavy’s second novel and lost his job because of it. Making appearances are film director John Huston who took Donleavy fishing and ‘a pop star’ (Mick Jagger) who failed in his attempt to be inconspicuous at a Donleavy party.
This unique collection is richly illustrated with period photos and facsimiles of letters and pages from the first draft of what became The Ginger Man. Mariana Crist contributed a loving reminiscence of her father. She presents the real man behind the fictional character. She also recalls being babysat by Brendan Behan, making her the only toddler then permitted in the pubs of Dublin.
The Ginger Man Letters is essential reading for fans of the author and his masterpiece, as well as literary scholars and those interested in bohemian Dublin days and is sure to attract a new generation of readers.
