Almost a century ago James Joyce immortalised Edwardian Dublin with his account of Leopold Bloom’s journey across the city in 'Ulysses'. Taking place on the 16th of June, 1904, this novel has come to be regarded as one of the greatest pieces of writing of all time. Only a few years after the novel was first published people began to celebrate Joyce and his iconic work by recreating Bloom’s day.
This Tuesday will see literary fans around the world once again don period garb, breakfast on gizzards and offal, and stop off at the landmarks of Joyce’s novel as they recreate a lost world in celebration of Bloom’s day.
UCD, Joyce’s alma mater and home of the James Joyce Research Centre, has published a new collection of essays that looks at Joyce, what influenced and shaped him and what in turn he helped to shape. 'Voices on Joyce' features writings from a variety of figures from economists, historians, and authors to geographers and a judge who look at Joyce and his interactions with and impact on sport, music, history, philosophy, and much else.
Susan Cahill, the series producer of ‘Talking History’, spoke with Professor Anne Fogarty and Dr Joseph Brady ahead of this book’s launch. You can listen to their discussion here. How did Joyce help to shape the Dublin that we know today? How was he shaped by the city and nation of his birth? And why should we keep reading his works today?
