Donleavy Archive U.S.-Bound

By Frank Shouldice, Contributor
August September 2005

Author J.P. Donleavy (pictured right) is in negotiations with a U.S. university for the sale of his literary archive. The Brooklyn-born author who has been resident in Ireland since 1946 came to international prominence with publication of The Ginger Man nine years later. Donleavy did not wish to name the East Coast university but was pleased to find a purchaser for his work. “By releasing the archive now I can ensure that it will remain intact, well-minded and available in perpetuity,” he said.

The archive includes correspondence with other literary figures through the 1950s and ’60s and the original manuscript for The Ginger Man. His catalogue of work includes 11 novels, the last of which was Wrong Information Is Being Given Out at Princeton, which was published seven years ago. Donleavy, now 79, lives in Levington Park, an estate outside Mullingar, Co. Westmeath once owned by British actress Julie Andrews. ♦

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