"The man behind the bottle" proclaims the write-up on the back cover. Biography sometimes surpasses itself and becomes something more. This is the history of not just Behan, but an entire generation of Irish writers, playwrights, poets and revolutionaries. And like all good biographies this one stimulates an appetite for more. Partly it's because the voice of Behan comes through so clearly, and partly because O'Connor speaks the same language so well. Highly recommended for anyone who's ever loved Irish literature, or drunk Guinness in a Dublin pub till they've forgotten the way home. ( )