Correspondence by J. P. Donleavy, Gainor Crist, and A. K. Donoghue
Edited and annotated by Bill Dunn
Paperback: 9781628976410
eBook: 9781628976427
Publication Date: May 5th, 2026
Description
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 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. 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.
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.
Praise
“By turns earnest, ribald and confrontational, the letters paint the picture of a bohemian existence humorously at odds with the Catholic mores of the day. The collection also offers a wider view of Donleavy’s life.” —Liam Whelan, University Times, Trinity College Dublin
“An account of the delights and strains of friendship, of joy in revelry, of pain in disruption, of loyalty and intolerance, fidelity and betrayal, debauchery and debt. A sense of stealthy, unforgiving fate stalks it and this gives it its memorable quality. It is insightfully edited with a linking narrative by Bill Dunn.” —Rory Brennan, Books Ireland
Biographical Note
Bill Dunn, a longtime J.P. Donleavy fan and collector of his work, was determined to meet him and did so in 1990. Then a newspaper reporter, Dunn interviewed Donleavy during a US book tour. Instead of the scheduled 45-minute interview, they spent the entire day together. They hit it off and went on to become good friends. During a prolonged 2005 visit to Levington Park, Dunn researched and wrote the bibliographic inventory of Donleavy’s archive, which became the reference document in the author’s discussions with universities interested in acquiring his papers. In his archive research, Dunn read Donleavy’s correspondence with Gainor Crist and Arthur Kenneth Donoghue, recommending they be collected in a book. Permissions were eventually obtained. Bill Dunn is the author of six previous books, including two on lighthouses. He lives in Sea Girt, New Jersey, two blocks from a lighthouse where he is a docent and the historian.