Current Book: The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy
From the back of the book: "First published in Paris in 1955, and originally banned in the United States, J.P. Donleavy's first novel is now recognized the world over as a masterpiece and a modern classic of the highest order.
"Set in Ireland just after World War II, The Ginger Man is J.P. Donleavy's wildy funny, picaresque* classic novel of the misadventures of Sebastian Dangerfield, a young American ne'er-do-well studying at Trinity College in Dblin. He barely has time for his studies as he avoids bill collectors, makes love to almost anything in a skirt, and tries to survive without having to descend into the bottomless pit of steady work. Dangerfield's appetite for women, liquor, and general roguishness is insatiable-and he satisfies it with endless charm."
*I had to look up the definition of picaresque once I realized that it didn't say "picturesque". Anyway, it's a type of prose fiction developed in SPain in which the adventures of a roguish hero are described in a series of unusually humorous episodes that often depict the everyday life of the common people (from dictionary.com). It seems The Ginger Man is quintessential picaresque fiction.
I'm only about 50 pages in, but so far I like The Ginger Man a lot more than The Magnificent Ambersons. Yeah, Sebastian is a scoundrel-he drinks (a LOT), wheedles money out of his friends, doesn't work, dislikes and cheats on his wife, and hates his child, but it's COMEDY. It's not like Donleavy is condoning this behavior. I've read that The Ginger Man is supposed to be someone autobiographical, so I'm interested to see how it ends. If Sebastian learns a lesson in the end.
One of the funniest things that has struck me so far is Sebastian's constant reminder to his friends to "use contraception". Of course, me being me, I somewhat agree with Sebastian's hatred of his squealing, dirty, smelly spawn. And I think it's interesting that he's at least realized one of his mistakes, and tries to keep others from making the same mistake he did. For the record, he didn't marry his wife because he got her pregnant-she got pregnant after they got married. I think that says a little something in favor of Sebastian's character.
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