The Ginger Man Letters

Showcasing for the first time 250 of renowned author J.P. Donleavy’s most intimate letters, this scrupulously edited collection throws an extraordinary light on the composition, publication and afterlife of The Ginger Man — the genesis of a masterpiece that went on to sell 60 million copies around the world. Spanning the late 1940s to the early 1980s, the letters chronicle the author’s scandalous exchanges between Gainor Crist and Arthur Kenneth Donoghue, his Trinity College friends who inspired the infamous characters Sebastian Dangerfield and Kenneth O’Keefe. As well as providing a comprehensive picture of Donleavy and those closest to him, the book provides a glimpse of the lives of Donleavy, Crist and Donoghue as they venture into the wider world and encounter some of the twentieth century’s most influential people along the way. The book features letters to writers Brendan Behan and William Nicholson; actors Richard Harris and Julie Andrews, and Donleavy’s publishers Seymour Lawrence and Maurice Giordias amongst others. This unique collection, enriched by images and letter facsimiles, is sure to appeal to a new generation of Donleavy fans and scholars.

Bill Dunn has written extensively about publishing, authors and book collecting with articles appearing in The New York Times, The Irish Times, Detroit News, A.B. Bookman’s Weekly and Publishers Weekly. He is the archivist of J.P. Donleavy’s papers and the author of six books, and is currently the historian at Sea Girt Lighthouse, Sea Girt, New Jersey.