The Projectionist

Projection (Psychoanalysis). The unconscious process or fact of projecting ones fears, feelings, desires or fantasies onto other persons, things or situations, in order to avoid recognizing them as ones own and so as to justify ones behaviour. Ernest Gébler, writer of such international bestsellers as The Plymouth Adventure and Call Me Daddy, which became the film Hoffman, led a turbulent and fascinating life. At the helm of one of Irelands best-known literary families, his life was one of staggering complexity, elusiveness and immense talent that spanned a tumultuous century. In a book that is both biography and memoir, Carlo Gébler, Ernests estranged son, tells the enthralling story of his fathers life, covering his strange and alienated childhood, his disastrous family relationships, his marriage to writer Edna OBrien, his staunch socialism and uncompromising disciplinary attitude, and his final heartbreaking struggle with Alzheimers disease. Had the subject been given a choice, he would never have allowed the writer to tell his story. In The Projectionist, Carlo Gébler draws on a rich archive of previously undiscovered autobiographical notes, as well as his own personal memories. He explores and interprets his Ernest's life in the hope of understanding a father he barely knew, a life he didnt share, and a man who was both fascinating and fearful. See more