Sir, – It was gratifying to see you, and the Irish media generally, pay justified tributes to Robert Kee (World News, January 12th). However, what none of the obituaries I have read have mentioned is his role as a distinguished publisher. MacGibbon and Kee, an imprint he set up with James and Jean MacGibbon in 1948, was a vigorous and influential literary publishing house, which brought out work by several important Irish writers, such as Patrick Kavanagh, Flann O’Brien, JP Donleavy and the shamefully neglected Patrick Boyle, as well as Doris Lessing, Frantz Fanon, Seymour Hersh, and Bill Naughton’s bestseller Alfie. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Your announcement of the death of Robert Kee (world News. January 12th) brought back memories.
At a meeting in London in the early 1980s he assured a few of us that we had the resources, if effectively used, to successfully search for justice for innocent Irish people in prison. He was right.
Many owe him a debt of gratitude. – Yours, etc,