J. P. Donleavy was born James Patrick Donleavy Jr. in Brooklyn, New York on April 23, 1926. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he studied microbiology at Trinity College in Dublin. His first novel, The Ginger Man, was published in 1955. His other novels included A Singular Man, The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B., The Onion Eaters, A Fairy Tale of New York, The Lady Who Liked Clean Rest Rooms, Wrong Information Is Being Given Out at Princeton, and The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman. He also wrote nonfiction books including The Unexpurgated Code: A Complete Manual of Survival and Manners and plays including The Beastly Beatitudes. He was an accomplished painter and had exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic, including a show at the National Arts Club in Manhattan in 2007. He died from a stroke on September 11, 2017 at the age of 91.
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