MOURN AND RE JOYCE

Returning from Italy recently, I was saddened to read of the death of J P Donleavy, author of a much-loved novel from my teenage years, The Ginger Man. 

Set in Dublin, The Ginger Man is a lengthy, stream-of-consciousness tale about an amoral American student at Trinity College who drinks to excess, chases women and gets into a variety of scrapes with his off-beat acquaintances and creditors. 

The critically acclaimed novel was originally banned as obscene in both the USA and Ireland but eventually achieved acceptance and is now considered a contemporary classic, having sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.

The Ginger Man was written in a structurally modernist style with sudden and rapid shifts between first and third person perspective. It shunned conventional narration and, for the very young man that I then was, provided an exciting departure from the conventional literary forms I had encountered at school.
 
J P Donleavy went on to write several other novels although none achieved the iconic status of The Ginger Man.
 
He died, aged 91, in County Westmeath, Ireland.

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Whilst in Italy, I visited the beautiful city of Trieste, home for several years of the acclaimed Irish writer, James Joyce, who wrote sections of his masterpiece, Ulysses, whilst living there.

The great man's statue stands on a bridge in the central part of the city and despite inclement weather I went along to share a bit of craic with my fellow countryman.  

I explained to him that, although I'd first purchased a copy of Ulysses in 1961, I have still not progressed beyond page forty-seven, but, am nevertheless determined to finish it before The Grim Reaper catches up with me.

Decency prevents me from publishing the author's response. 

Suffice it to say that I left hurriedly to seek a comforting espresso macchiato e torta at one of the many excellent cafes that Trieste has to offer.

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