Ginna, Robert Emmett, Jr. 1927(?)-

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GINNA, Robert Emmett, Jr. 1927(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1927. Education: Attended University of Rochester, received degree, 1948; Harvard University, M.A. (art history), 1950.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Jaffrey Center, NH; and Sag Harbor, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Random House, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER:

In early career, worked as a reporter and editor for magazines, including Horizon, Life, and Scientific American; cofounder of People magazine; Little, Brown (publisher), New York, NY, editor in chief, 1977-80; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, member of faculty teaching writing and filmmaking, 1988-2002. Film producer, including for movies Young Cassidy, 1965, The Last Challenge, 1967, Before Winter Comes, 1969, Brotherly Love, 1970, and Ireland Moving. Military service: Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, until 1946.

WRITINGS:

The Irish Way: A Walk through Ireland's Past and Present, Random House (New York, NY), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

The son of Irish immigrants, Robert Emmett Ginna, Jr., has long been interested in the history of Ireland, and during his career as a filmmaker, he made the documentary Ireland Moving about his ancestral land. Much later, after a long career as a writer, editor, and university instructor, Ginna went back to Ireland when he was seventy-eight and took a long walking tour of the country to find out how the land had changed in recent years. His experiences during this adventure are recorded in his 2003 book, The Irish Way: A Walk through Ireland's Past and Present. "I wanted to have a way to write about Ireland as it is today and how it got that way," he is quoted as saying on the University of Rochester Web site. He found during his trip that although Ireland has become a modern country in many ways, its history and charm are still surviving: "Ireland's past is very palpable.… I tried to weave the past into the present because the past is so crucial to understanding the present." He added that "in many ways the 'soul' of the Irish—the love of talk and the love of sport and the quiet love of life—that has not changed."

In his book, Ginna describes the landscape and atmosphere of Ireland that he experienced while traveling through the center of the island, avoiding for the most part the large cities and coastlines that draw American tourists. He records conversations he had with people ranging from ordinary pub customers and farmers to industry moguls and castle-owning gentry. While some reviewers enjoyed Ginna's portrait of Ireland, others found it somewhat lacking in depth. For instance, some reviewers complained that Ginna takes what everyone tells him at face value, including optimistic views of business people, and that the author never finds anything critical or incisive to say. "It makes for a monotonous, somewhat narrow view of a vibrant, culturally rich country," stated a Publishers Weekly critic, who suggested that readers looking for information about modern life in Ireland "should look elsewhere." And a Washington Post writer found the interviews with Irish "captains of industry … dutiful and uninspiring, with the captains speaking in full paragraphs about how business is doing." However, other reviewers were entertained by The Irish Way. For example, Wilson Quarterly contributor Terence Winch stated that Ginna "has a sharp eye and a sure feel for the castles, forts, great houses, monasteries, and other places that contain so much vivid Irish history," and added that the author "is also gifted at resurrecting the memory of a select crew of departed luminaries."