James Joyce Popular Books

James Joyce Biography & Facts

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century. Joyce's novel Ulysses (1922) is a landmark in which the episodes of Homer's Odyssey are paralleled in a variety of literary styles, particularly stream of consciousness. Other well-known works are the short-story collection Dubliners (1914), and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939). His other writings include three books of poetry, a play, letters, and occasional journalism. Joyce was born in Dublin into a middle-class family. He attended the Jesuit Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare, then, briefly, the Christian Brothers–run O'Connell School. Despite the chaotic family life imposed by his father's unpredictable finances, he excelled at the Jesuit Belvedere College and graduated from University College Dublin in 1902. In 1904, he met his future wife, Nora Barnacle, and they moved to mainland Europe. He briefly worked in Pula and then moved to Trieste in Austria-Hungary, working as an English instructor. Except for an eight-month stay in Rome working as a correspondence clerk and three visits to Dublin, Joyce resided there until 1915. In Trieste, he published his book of poems Chamber Music and his short story collection Dubliners, and he began serially publishing A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in the English magazine The Egoist. During most of World War I, Joyce lived in Zürich, Switzerland, and worked on Ulysses. After the war, he briefly returned to Trieste and then moved to Paris in 1920, which became his primary residence until 1940. Ulysses was first published in Paris in 1922, but its publication in the United Kingdom and the United States was prohibited because of its perceived obscenity. Copies were smuggled into both countries and pirated versions were printed until the mid-1930s, when publication finally became legal. Joyce started his next major work, Finnegans Wake, in 1923, publishing it sixteen years later in 1939. Between these years, Joyce travelled widely. He and Nora were married in a civil ceremony in London in 1931. He made a number of trips to Switzerland, frequently seeking treatment for his increasingly severe eye problems and psychological help for his daughter, Lucia. When France was occupied by Germany during World War II, Joyce moved back to Zürich in 1940. He died there in 1941 after surgery for a perforated ulcer, at age 58. Ulysses frequently ranks high in lists of great books of literature, and the academic literature analysing his work is extensive and ongoing. Many writers, film-makers, and other artists have been influenced by his stylistic innovations, such as his meticulous attention to detail, use of interior monologue, wordplay, and the radical transformation of traditional plot and character development. Though most of his adult life was spent abroad, his fictional universe centres on Dublin and is largely populated by characters who closely resemble family members, enemies and friends from his time there. Ulysses in particular is set in the streets and alleyways of the city. Joyce is quoted as saying, "For myself, I always write about Dublin, because if I can get to the heart of Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular is contained the universal." Early life Joyce was born on 2 February 1882 at 41 Brighton Square, Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland, to John Stanislaus Joyce and Mary Jane "May" (née Murray). He was the eldest of ten surviving siblings. He was baptised with the name James Augustine Joyce according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church in the nearby St Joseph's Church in Terenure on 5 February 1882 by Rev. John O'Mulloy. His godparents were Philip and Ellen McCann. John Stanislaus Joyce's family came from Fermoy in County Cork, where they owned a small salt and lime works. Joyce's paternal grandfather, James Augustine, married Ellen O'Connell, daughter of John O'Connell, a Cork alderman who owned a drapery business and other properties in Cork City. Ellen's family claimed kinship with the political leader Daniel O'Connell, who had helped secure Catholic emancipation for the Irish in 1829.Joyce's father was appointed rate collector by Dublin Corporation in 1887. The family moved to the fashionable small town of Bray, 12 miles (19 km) from Dublin. Joyce was attacked by a dog around this time, leading to his lifelong fear of dogs. He later developed a fear of thunderstorms, which he acquired through a superstitious aunt who had described them as a sign of God's wrath.In 1891, nine-year-old Joyce wrote the poem "Et Tu, Healy" on the death of Charles Stewart Parnell that his father printed and distributed to friends. The poem expressed the sentiments of the elder Joyce, who was angry at Parnell's apparent betrayal by the Irish Catholic Church, the Irish Parliamentary Party, and the British Liberal Party that resulted in a collaborative failure to secure Irish Home Rule in the British Parliament. This sense of betrayal, particularly by the church, left a lasting impression that Joyce expressed in his life and art.That year, his family began to slide into poverty, worsened by his father's drinking and financial mismanagement. John Joyce's name was published in Stubbs' Gazette, a blacklist of debtors and bankrupts, in November 1891, and he was temporarily suspended from work. In January 1893, he was dismissed with a reduced pension.Joyce began his education in 1888 at Clongowes Wood College, a Jesuit boarding school near Clane, County Kildare, but had to leave in 1891 when his father could no longer pay the fees. He studied at home and briefly attended the Christian Brothers O'Connell School on North Richmond Street, Dublin. Joyce's father then had a chance meeting with the Jesuit priest John Conmee, who knew the family. Conmee arranged for Joyce and his brother Stanislaus to attend the Jesuits' Dublin school, Belvedere College, without fees starting in 1893. In 1895, Joyce, now aged 13, was elected by his peers to join the Sodality of Our Lady. Joyce spent five years at Belvedere, his intellectual formation guided by the principles of Jesuit education laid down in the Ratio Studiorum (Plan of Studies). He displayed his writing talent by winning first place for English composition in his final two years before graduating in 1898. University years Joyce enrolled at University College in 1898 to study English, French and Italian. While there, he was exposed to the scholasticism of Thomas Aquinas, which had a strong influence on his thought for the rest of his life. He participated in many of Dublin's theatrical and literary circles. His closest colleagues included leading Irish figures of his generation, most notably, George Clancy, Tom Kettle and Francis Sheehy-Skeffing.... Discover the James Joyce popular books. Find the top 100 most popular James Joyce books.

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  • Dubliners synopsis, comments

    Dubliners

    James Joyce, Edna O'Brien & Malachy McCourt

    This Vintage Classics edition of James Joyce’s groundbreaking story collection has been authoritatively edited by scholars Hans Walter Gabler and Walter Hettche and includes a chro...

  • James Joyce synopsis, comments

    James Joyce

    Edmund Wilson

    El extraordinario ensayo del mejor crítico del siglo XX sobre Joyce y el Ulises, la obra que marcó un antes y un después en la literatura universal.En James Joyce, escrito en 1931,...

  • Call It Sleep synopsis, comments

    Call It Sleep

    Henry Roth

    When Henry Roth published his debut novel Call It Sleep in 1934, it was greeted with considerable critical acclaim though, in those troubled times, lackluster sales. Only with its ...

  • Ulysses synopsis, comments

    Ulysses

    James Joyce

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all timeUlysses is one of the most influential novels of the twentieth century. It was not easy to find a publisher ...

  • Etta and Otto and Russell and James synopsis, comments

    Etta and Otto and Russell and James

    Emma Hooper

    This “poetic, poignant” (US Weekly) debut features last great adventures, unlikely heroes, and a “sweet, disarming story of lasting love” (The New York Times Book Review).Eightythr...

  • James Joyce synopsis, comments

    James Joyce

    Richard Ellmann

    In questo classico della biografia letteraria, l’opera e la vita di James Joyce vengono raccontate, analizzate e commentate seguendo il filo di una passione rigorosa e priva d’indu...

  • The Hidden Habits of Genius synopsis, comments

    The Hidden Habits of Genius

    Craig Wright

    “An unusually engaging book on the forces that fuel originality across fields.” Adam GrantLooking at the 14 key traits of genius, from curiosity to creative maladjustment to obsess...

  • Where The Light Gets In synopsis, comments

    Where The Light Gets In

    Lucy Dillon

    'Lucy Dillon's books never fail to make me happy' Jenny Colgan'Deeply moving' Sophie Kinsella'I felt bereft for having finished it' Milly JohnsonSometimes the cracks in your heart ...

  • A Moveable Feast synopsis, comments

    A Moveable Feast

    Ernest Hemingway

    Published for the first time as Ernest Hemingway intended, one of the great writer's most enduring works: his classic memoir of Paris in the 1920s Published posthumously in 1964, ...

  • Reading Like a Writer synopsis, comments

    Reading Like a Writer

    Francine Prose

    A distinguished novelist and critic inspires readers and writers with this inside look at how the professionals readand writeLong before there were creative writing workshops and d...

  • Little Cruelties synopsis, comments

    Little Cruelties

    Liz Nugent

    From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond and Lying in Wait, a biting and masterful “dark jewel of a novel” (A.J. Finn, #1New York Times bestselling a...

  • The Creators synopsis, comments

    The Creators

    Daniel J. Boorstin

    By piecing the lives of selected individuals into a grand mosaic, Pulitzer Prizewinning historian Daniel J. Boorstin explores the development of artistic innovation over 3,000 year...

  • Ulysses by James Joyce synopsis, comments

    Ulysses by James Joyce

    James Joyce & GP Editors

    Ulysses by Irish writer James Joyce was first serialised in parts in the American journal 'The Little Review' from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its ...

  • James Joyce synopsis, comments

    James Joyce

    Joelle Herr

    Whether you need to get to know Ulysses in a hurry or are a longtime fan of James Joyce, this pocketsized tome is the goto reference, complete with comprehensive plot summaries and...

  • Ephesians synopsis, comments

    Ephesians

    Joyce Meyer

    Internationally renowned Bible teacher Joyce Meyer provides a close study and commentary on Ephesians, emphasizing the importance of living in Christ and putting your relationship ...

  • Middlemarch synopsis, comments

    Middlemarch

    George Eliot & Rosemary Ashton

    One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World''One of the few English novels written for grownup people' Virginia WoolfGeorge Eliot's nuanced and moving novel is a masterly ev...

  • James synopsis, comments

    James

    Joyce Meyer

    Put your faith into practice on a daily basis and grasp the practical truths of God's Word with this indepth commentary on James from Internationally renowned Bible teacher.James h...

  • James Joyce synopsis, comments

    James Joyce

    Friedhelm Rathjen

    James Joyce hat mit seinen Werken, vor allem mit dem legendären «Finnegans Wake», Deutungslawinen ausgelöst. Kaum ein Autor unserer Tage, der sich nicht auf Joyce beruft; selbst Po...

  • James Joyce -Dubliners synopsis, comments

    James Joyce -Dubliners

    James Joyce & Philip Dossick

    Dubliners, often cited as one of the best works of short fiction ever written, can be found on countless lists of the finest works of the 20th century. It is a fearless portrait of...

  • A Moveable Feast synopsis, comments

    A Moveable Feast

    Ernest Hemingway

    Ernest Hemingway’s classic memoir of Paris in the 1920s, now available in a restored edition, includes the original manuscript along with insightful recollections and unfinished sk...

  • James Joyce synopsis, comments

    James Joyce

    Edna O'Brien

    James Joyces roman Ulysses gælder som et af de absolutte hovedværker i verdenslitteraturen. I år er det 100 år siden romanen udkom. I den anledning udsendes denne fine lille biogra...

  • James Joyce synopsis, comments

    James Joyce

    Arnold Goldman

    This volume, first published in 1968, draws attention to the special relationship between Joyce’s life and his writing. The passages are presented in chronological order, with a co...

  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man synopsis, comments

    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

    James Joyce & Langdon Hammer

    A masterpiece of modern fiction, James Joyce’s semiautobiographical first novel follows Stephen Dedalus, a sensitive and creative youth who rebels against his family, his education...

  • The Collected Works of James Joyce synopsis, comments

    The Collected Works of James Joyce

    James Joyce

    This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works or all the significant works the Œuvre of this famous and brilliant writer in one ebook easytoread and easytonavigate: Ulys...

  • James Joyce synopsis, comments

    James Joyce

    James F. Broderick

    Though he published just a handful of major works in his lifetime, James Joyce (18821941) continues to fascinate readers around the world and remains one of the most important lite...

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh synopsis, comments

    The Epic of Gilgamesh

    N. K. Sandars

    Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, and his companion Enkidu are the only heroes to have survived from the ancient literature of Babylon, immortalized in this epic poem that dates back to the...

  • The Paris Bookseller synopsis, comments

    The Paris Bookseller

    Kerri Maher

    “A love letter to bookstores and libraries.” The Boston GlobeThe dramatic story of how a humble bookseller fought against incredible odds to bring one of the most important books o...

  • Snow Country synopsis, comments

    Snow Country

    Yasunari Kawabata & Edward G. Seidensticker

    This masterpiece from the Nobel Prizewinning author and acclaimed writer of Thousand Cranes is a powerful tale of wasted love set amid the desolate beauty of western Japan.&#x...

  • The Death of a Joyce Scholar synopsis, comments

    The Death of a Joyce Scholar

    Bartholomew Gill

    Trinity professor and Joycean scholar Kevin Coyle was one of Dublin's most colorful and controversial characters, until someone stabbed him through the heart on Bloomsday, the an...

  • The Joyce Girl synopsis, comments

    The Joyce Girl

    Annabel Abbs

    “Abbs has found a gripping and littleknown story at the heart of one of the 20th century’s most astonishing creative moments, researched it deeply, and brought the extraordinary Jo...

  • Himself synopsis, comments

    Himself

    Jess Kidd

    "[A] fastpaced yarn that nimbly soars above the Irish crime fiction genre Kidd clearly knows very well." New York Times Book Review“[A] supernaturally skillful debut.” Vanity Fair“...

  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man synopsis, comments

    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

    James Joyce

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all timePublished in 1916, James Joyce's semiautobiographical tale of his alter ego, Stephen Dedalus, is a comingofa...

  • James Joyce synopsis, comments

    James Joyce

    Gordon Bowker

    A revealing new biographythe first in more than fifty yearsof one of the twentiethcentury's towering literary figuresJames Joyce is one of the greatest writers of the twentieth cen...

  • The Heather Blazing synopsis, comments

    The Heather Blazing

    Colm Tóibín

    Colm Tóibín’s “lovely, understated” novel that “proceeds with stately grace” (The Washington Post Book World) about an uncompromising judge whose principles, when brought home to h...

  • Works of James Joyce synopsis, comments

    Works of James Joyce

    James Joyce

    This collection was designed for optimal navigation on iPad and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically and by category, making it easier to access individual books...