
The Ginger Man
Irish and American novelist, 1926–2017.
The Ginger Man is a 1955 novel by J.P. Donleavy. It was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1959.
On 2 of the 17 lists it was eligible for.
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At a glance
- Author
- J.P. Donleavy
- First published
- 1955
- Length
- 352 pages (UK paperback)
- Awards
- National Book Award for Fiction shortlist, 1959
- Genre
- Comic novels and satire, Picaresque, Migration and identity, Class and society
Is The Ginger Man worth reading?
2 of the 17 best-of lists it could have made include it: 100 Best Novels (board's list) (Modern Library) and the National Book Award for Fiction.
| List | Place | Original |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Best Novels (board's list) (Modern Library, 1998) | No. 99 | See the list |
| National Book Award for Fiction (winners and finalists) (National Book Foundation, 1959) | Shortlist | See the list |
Best edition of The Ginger Man
The edition we link to is the Abacus paperback (1997), 352 pages.
- Publisher
- Abacus (paperback, 1997)
- Pages
- 352
- ISBN
- 9780349108759
How critics, prizes and readers rate The Ginger Man
Prize juries rate it most highly: it earned 33% of the points available on prize lists, against 10% on critics' lists and 0% on readers' and booksellers' lists.
Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work
Books like The Ginger Man
If you liked The Ginger Man, try Disgrace, The Tin Drum or The Adventures of Augie March.


