<p>J. P. Donleavy has been writing now for forty-five years and, as he admits, an answer to the question why is 'difficult to dig out of a long past'. Yet over these pages he author's query is largely answered for him: he has written so much for so long because he writes so very well. From the banks of the Seine to the streets of the Bronx, from the stables of the Dublin Horse Show to cocktails at Claridge's, we are transporte...