

The Ginger Man
by J. P. Donleavy
J. P. Donleavy’s blackly comic novel of a charming American disaster drinking and scheming his way through postwar Dublin.
- 1955
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeSebastian Dangerfield drinks, borrows, chases women, avoids responsibility, and leaves chaos behind him across postwar Dublin. Donleavy turns poverty, appetite, bad behavior, and relentless survival into a dark comic performance.
What's inside
An American student in Dublin ricochets through debt, affairs, marriage, friendship, and schemes while refusing every invitation to become responsible.
Why we recommend it
A charming disaster
Dangerfield’s poverty, sex, black comedy, and spectacular irresponsibility echo Miller at his most reckless.
What this book explores
Book editions

- Paperback
- Grove Press
- 2010
- 9780802144669
Reader reviews
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References
The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document The Ginger Man, its publication, and its place in literary history.


1The Ginger Man
NovelOlympia Press, 1955Used forPrimary source for the novel and its publication record.
The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.