JP Donleavy is a novelist and playwright who lives near Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland. His first novel, The Ginger Man, was published in Paris in 1955. Today Donleavy continues to write and his first book still remains in print.
James Patrick Donleavy was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1926. Both his parents were Irish born and had emigrated to the US. He was educated in the United States and he served in the US Navy during World War II. After the war Donleavy moved to Ireland to study science at Trinity College Dublin (TCD).
The Ginger Man is loosely based on the activities of Gainor Crist who was a companion of Donleavy at TCD. Crist had also served in the US Navy during World War II. The US Government introduced The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act in 1944. It was commonly referred to as the G.I. Bill. The Bill provided several benefits for veterans of World War II including tuition and living expenses to attend university. Crist availed of the G.I. Bill to study at TCD.
Donleavy has written several other novels including, A Singular Man (1963), The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B (1968), A Fairy Tale of New York (1973) and The Lady Who Liked Clean Rest Rooms (1998). He is also the author plays and short stories.
JP Donleavy was born in New York City in the year 1926 On This Day.
Photo by Fried Dough 
The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy
Photo by Fried Dough
Back cover of The Ginger Man