*Accompanied by unseen photographs from the Donleavy archive *Includes a poignant memoir of Gainor Crist, the man who inspired Sebastian Dangerfield, by his daughter, Mariana *The Lilliput Press will publish Donleavy's 27th book, the novel 'A Letter Marked Personal' in the spring of 2019. Showcasing for the first time 220 of renowned author J.P. Donleavy's most intimate letters, this scrupulously edited collection throws an extraordinary light on the composition, publication and afterlife of The Ginger Man --- the genesis of a masterpiece that went on to sell 60 million copies around the world. Spanning the late 1940s to the early 1980s, the letters chronicle the author's scandalous exchanges between Gainor Crist and Arthur Kenneth Donoghue, his Trinity College friends who inspired the infamous characters Sebastian Dangerfield and Kenneth O'Keefe. As well as providing a comprehensive picture of Donleavy and those closest to him, the book provides a glimpse of the lives of Donleavy, Crist and Donoghue as they venture into the wider world and encounter some of the twentieth century's most influential people along the way. The book features letters to writers Brendan Behan and William Nicholson; actors Richard Harris and Julie Andrews, and Donleavy's publishers Seymour Lawrence and Maurice Giordias amongst others. This unique collection, enriched by images and letter facsimiles, is sure to appeal to a new generation of Donleavy fans and scholars.

About the Author
Bill Dunn has written extensively about publishing, authors and book collecting with articles appearing in The New York Times, The Irish Times, Detroit News, A.B. Bookman's Weekly and Publishers Weekly. He is the archivist of J.P. Donleavy's papers and the author of six books, and is currently the historian at Sea Girt Lighthouse, Sea Girt, New Jersey.

Reviews
a compelling narrative, a true story that reads like Donleavy fiction - often laugh-out loud funny, sometimes outrageous, elsewhere sensitive and introspective, then brawling and confident, and always revealing. -- Bill Dunn * The Irish Times * A treasure trove of letters reveal deep rifts between the iconoclasts who inspired 'The Ginger Man'. -- Liam Collins * The Independent *



Book Information
ISBN 9781843517474
Author J. P. Donleavy
Format Hardback
Page Count 420
Imprint The Lilliput Press Ltd
Publisher The Lilliput Press Ltd