Next year in Dublin

On Tuesday night I met some friends at The Ginger Man, a pub in midtown I see that there are many pubs the world over named The Ginger Man, appropriate for a book about the lighter side of drinking yourself into oblivion. I appreciated that the bar's Twitter feed (of course it has one) pays tribute to the protagonist of J.P. Donleavy's book in its identity.

I didn't find it terribly authentic to the book, as I am sure you are surprised to find out. The impressive array of taps behind the bar are undoubtedly appreciated by its present-day clientele but would probably be seen as a frill in post-World War II Dublin. The bar is very well lit in places, a terrible place to hide from your creditors. It was playing kind of a downtempo mix of music better suited to staring out the window than enjoying happy hour (unless you normally clink glasses to Grizzly Bear and/or the Postal Service).

In the end I think the most GINGER MAN-esque aspect of the Ginger Man was the indifference of the waitstaff to my desire to get a drink. I eventually gave up trying because I was attempting to interact more with them than I was with my actual-factual friends. If I want to be ignored by bartenders I'll just go to Murray Hill. (There's one for my fellow New Yorkers!) On the other hand, Sebastian Dangerfield would probably just fall over the bar and serve himself, and maybe that's the lesson.

99. J.P. Donleavy, THE GINGER MAN

Do you like stately, plump Buck Mulligan? Want to spend 250 pages with him?

I grabbed this paperback in a hurry because I was going to Hoboken for St. Patrick's Day (observed on Saturday) and, o vanity, needed a book that would fit in my jacket pocket in case things got out of hand. (They didn't.) I had tried to read it almost four years ago and found it difficult to get into, but this time I sailed through the stream-of-consciousness musings of one Sebastian Dangerfield, American expat in Dublin ostensibly going to school on the G.I. Bill but largely scamming drinks and sleeping with every woman who will have him, to the obvious disapproval of his cold English wife.

From what I've read about THE GINGER MAN I know it was banned or at least restricted for much of its published life. It didn't offend me but the depravity wore me down even in that slim a volume. When Sebastian's fortunes seemed to take their umpteenth turn, I both wanted him to succeed in his latest scheme, and knew that he wouldn't. (Vagueness to avoid spoilers.) There is one really incredible sequence involving an animal costume, though.

J.P. Donleavy is in fact still with us -- this is his first novel, probably one of the only first novels on the Modern Library list, and seems to be at least somewhat autobiographical -- but hopefully he hasn't learned to Google himself.

Ellen VS. ML: 53 read, 47 unread.

Next up: After a long suspension, working on #85 LORD JIM on Dailylit.

Respect your elders

This list of 10 Writers over 80 from Ward Six is a trivia goldmine, and not just because of the ages. I didn't like Paula Fox's DESPERATE CHARACTERS, despite strong recommendations, but discovering that she's Courtney Love's grandmother, now that I can drop at readings. And I feel still guiltier over never finishing THE GINGER MAN if J.P. Donleavy is still with us.

Two recommendations to draw from it: If you enjoyed Beverly Cleary's books when you were younger, her memoirs A GIRL FROM YAMHILL and MY OWN TWO FEET will surprise you and give you insight into her writing. Also, I've been meaning to read some of Alison Lurie's other books after randomly picking up FOREIGN AFFAIRS on vacation and really enjoying it; it's light, but not "beach reading."