The Irish Literary Times

2013 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first unexpurgated edition of J P Donleavy’s hilariously picaresque novel, The Ginger Man. Banned on first publication for obscenity both here and in the US, it has never been out of print, and has since sold close on fifty million copies worldwide. Adapted for the theatre in 1959, and starring Richard Harris in the lead role of Sebastian Dangerfield, the novel is currently being reworked for the big screen by Donleavy devotee, Johnny Depp. Its creator, now in his eighty-seventh year and revered the world over, rarely leaves his Westmeath manor, so it is with a deep sense of privilege that we welcome him to our Picnic for a look back on his most infamous scoundrel, and on what continues to be a remarkable writing life.