"Bizarre drawings in 'Beastly Beasts, Birds, People and Places' "

by Marlene Lyng

ALAS, most of Ireland is too young to remember its more eccentric literary characters.

Who is JP Donleavy, anyone under the age of 30 may ask.

Born in Brooklyn, he came to Ireland courtesy of a GI Bill of Rights and is best known for his novel The Ginger Man which, despite the fact that he wrote several other novels (including The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B and Meet My Maker the Mad Molecule), remains the one work of fiction that he is immediately associated with . . . like Lord of the Flies or Catcher in The Rye, it became an instant classic.

In a nutshell it's about the boozing and sexual exploits of one Sebastian Dangerfield in repressive post-World War Two Dublin. Brendan Behan, who was the first to read it, is reputed to have said "This book is going to go around the world and beat the bejaysus out of the Bible."

It was its non-biblical content which got it into trouble.

When Donleavy submitted the manuscript to Scribners, it was rejected on the grounds that it invited prosecution for obscenity. The obscenity connotations continued when The Olympia Press in 1955 (its first publication) included The Ginger Man (much to Donleavy's chagrin) in their Pornographic Traveller's Companion Series, ignoring the work's literary merits. It was later published in 1958 by mainstream publisher Spearman.

And despite its acceptance into mainstream literature, the book still managed to cause controversy when in 1959 a Dublin stage production featuring Richard Harris was closed down by Archbishop McQuaid. An indignant Harris wanted to send the manuscript to the Pope.

However, The Ginger Man returned to the stage at the Eblana theatre in 1971 without any controversy. And now none other than Johnny Depp is keen to star in a movie version and has been talking to Donleavy about it.

Donleavy himself was a bit of a lad during his college days partying every night and drinking in the Georgian basements of Fitzwilliam Place, which were veritable illegal drinking dens at the time. In an interview he said of his early days in Dublin: "It was purely drink, drink seeking drink and drunkenness that was the condition that had to be kept going."

Donleavy eventually shrugged off his younger bohemian lifestyle and became very much the country squire when he bought Balsoon House in Co Meath . . . he was always photographed in his tweeds and county gear.

Later in 1972, he bought Levington Park in Mullingar, where he still lives . . . he is now almost 80 years old. Levington Park was built by Sir Charles Levigne in 1742 and is mentioned in Joyce's Stephen Hero.
Donleavy became very much at ease with the gentleman farmer image and his 170 acres on the shores of Lough Owel are also home to a herd of cattle which graze happily in an exclusively grass-fed and free range environment.

And although he may be forever tied to The Ginger Man (its first editions achieve high prices at auction) Donleavy always had another string to his bow . . . his artistic inclinations. Not many people know that. And for those who are curious about the author as artist, an exhibition of his work opens at Dublin's Molesworth Gallery on Tuesday. It's hardly surprising that his work has a certain notoriety and individuality, often being cited as something akin to Outsider Art.

Alongside his literary career, Donleavy was always dabbling in art. He took it up when he was 20, working in his rooms at Trinity College, and had his first exhibition in 1948 at no 7 St Stephen's Green . . . Jack Yeats was among the attendees and Ernest Gebler bought two pieces.

Harsh press reviews of one of his early exhibitions caused scholar and critic Arland Ussher to come to his defence, saying that Donleavy's works were reminiscent of those of Paul Klee. Donleavy was chuffed by the comparison and went on to have several other exhibitions.

The catalogue for the current exhibition at the Molesworth gallery is impressive. In fact, it has almost become de rigueur today for auctions and art exhibitions to compete with each other in producing expensive, comprehensive, glossy catalogues which are full of in-depth features and photo journalistic content.

Fine art agent Damien Matthews, who is Donleavy's agent, produced the catalogue. It contains a chronology of Donleavy's life from 1926 to date and an interview with him where he says: "It's not really known by people just how many writers have, in fact, been painters . . . from DH Lawrence and Henry Miller right up to the present day."

As ever, Donleavy keeps himself in good company Donleavy's black comedy and his use of the macabre is evident in his artistic output.

His animal sketches with their elaborate captions offer parallels between human and animal nature . . . strange beasts, dogs with erections and wise-cracking fish crop up time and time again.

The inspiration, says the catalogue, comes from Donleavy's own experience in zoology and microbiology, "the fighting fish with teeth bared, symbols of people and situations encountered in modern life. Then there are the beautiful girls and women, the sources of life f and finally cemetery scenes where we will all wind up."

To all intents and purposes, Donleavy's exhibition, 'Beastly Beasts, Birds, People and Places', comprises a series of whimsical bizarre drawings and a lesser number of striking oils, all of which have humorous titles.

They come from his own collection.

If, as Donleavy says, "writing is the turning of one's worst moments into money, " then perhaps he has another talent of turning his black humour into art.

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