John B. the Real Keane: A Biography

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.