"The Ginger Man Celebrates Its Eponym"

by Gary Shapiro

Brooklyn-born author James Patrick Donleavy, who grew up in the Bronx but expatriated to Ireland, returned to Manhattan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his classic novel "The Ginger Man," about an uncompromising hedonist named Sebastian Dangerfield. Over the years, the book has been praised by many - including Dorothy Parker, John Lennon, Kenneth Tynan, and Van Morrison.

The party was held at The Ginger Man, a bar named for the novel and located at 11 E. 36th Street. The bar's owner, Bob Precious; the author's son, Philip Donleavy; and two of the author's friends, Bob Mitchell and Stefano Ferrari, were hosts.

Before reading from "The Ginger Man," the author read from his "The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival and Manners." He offered humorous advice on name-dropping, and on how to behave at celebrity funerals. About being old, he said, "It's not nice, but take comfort that you won't stay that way forever."
He also read a nonfiction piece about his adventures as a newspaper boy delivering the Bronx Home News. When it came to collecting money for delivering the paper, the young Mr. Donleavy decided to reprimand those who didn't pay him. He wrote across the front page of those subscribers' papers, "How does it feel to cheat a child?" He was fired from the job.

In attendance was John Duffy, who wrote music for the New York stage production of "The Ginger Man." It opened at the old Fortune Theater on Second Avenue the night President Kennedy was assassinated, Mr. Duffy recalled.

Also seen were author Malachy Mc-Court, wearing a pin that read "Let Peace Begin With Us"; actor Jonathan Ball, who is in a forthcoming film called "Stein, Gertrude Stein"; screenwriter Spencer Tandy; and actor Johnny Depp.

Shane MacGowan sang "The Boys of Kilmichael" and "Peggy Gordon." Film director Laurence Dunmore read a passage from a draft of "The Ginger Man" that never made it into the book. He said he hoped to work on a movie based on "The Ginger Man."

One can get a sense of Mr. Donleavy's gloomy humor by a quotation of his printed over the back wall of the bar: " When you don't have any money, the problem is food. When you have money, it's sex. When you have both, it's health. If everything is simply jake, then you're frightened of death."

In addition to being a writer, Mr. Donleavy also paints. An exhibit of his work opening February 15 in Dublin at the Molesworth Gallery.

To purchase books by J.P. Donleavy, go to
the Buyers' Guide.