John B. the Real Keane: A Biography [Paperback]

Gus Smith (Author), Des Hickey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998 | ISBN-10: 1856350657 | ISBN-13: 978-1856350655

John B. Keane is one of Ireland's most popular playwrights. With his plays now reaching the cinema, his work has become known to an international audience. 30 years after John B. Keane made his professional debut as a playwright, biographers Gus Smith and Des Hickey join forces to tell the remarkable story of the man from Listowel. They mirror both the man and playwright from Keane's days as a young poet and aspiring dramatist to international success with the film of "The Field". In his colourful career he has known controversy and been rejected by Ireland's theatre establishment. He has been fearless in his stand for tolerance about the language, foreign games and the emancipation of Irish women. In this book, the actors, producers and fellow writers talk about John B. Keane's plays and books over a span of 30 years. It is the story of his struggle for acceptance. With the assistance also of his own family and close circle of friends Gus Smith and Des Hickey have been able to construct an entertaining picture of the man from Listowel. It is a story that spans five decades. At a time when some dramatists have faded from the theatrical scene, John B. Keane still manages to pack the Gaiety Theatre with his plays. More importantly, he has recorded the speech, the customs and the changing environment of rural Ireland in plays and stories.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Smith and the late Hickey, coauthors of My Life with Brendan , offer a biography of one of Ireland's major playwrights. Although not well-known in this country ( The Field , starring Richard Harris, was adapted from his play of the same title), Keane has been a force in Irish theater since the late 1950s. Born in Listowel, County Kerry, in 1928, he wrote his first play, Sive , at age 31 in the backroom of a pub he still owns in Listowel. The play was rejected by the Abbey Theater, a slight that deeply wounded him. But Sive was to mark the beginning of a play-writing career during which he would pen another 18 plays, among them Many Young Men of Twenty , The Field and Big Maggie , plus numerous essays and novels . Not one to shy away from the controversial aspects of Irish life, Keane has been outspoken about emigration (he's against), divorce (he's pro), censorship (against), the mandatory teaching of the Irish-Gaelic language (against), and the Church and its effects on sexuality. The book looks at his domestic life with his wife Mary and their four children, his presidency of Irish PEN and his often volatile relationship with the Abbey Theater. Informative and revealing, this biography uncovers one of Ireland's hidden treasures for American readers. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Irish Amer Book Co (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1856350657
• ISBN-13: 978-1856350655
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,241,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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