James Joyce

My introduction to several months of study of "Ulysses" by Joyce has been an enlightening journey. This work is not an exhaustive biography by any means. Instead, it can be seen as a love letter from a major Irish author to her forebear. O'Brien clearly holds Joyce in high regard, flaws and all. She delves into the various aspects of Joyce's life and work, providing valuable insights and interpretations. The book is a quick and worthwhile read, as it offers a unique perspective on one of the most important literary figures of the 20th century. Through her study, O'Brien helps readers to better understand the genius and complexity of Joyce's "Ulysses", and to appreciate the significance of this literary masterpiece.

Biography is a complex and challenging art form, requiring no less in the way of writerly skills than novel writing. The subject of a biography is a character who must be brought to life and developed, with conflict and resolution extracted from the countless details of daily life and woven into a narrative. What we ultimately have is not a comprehensive account of a life, but rather a particular perspective; it is as much fiction as it is fact.

It is therefore understandable that the Penguin Lives series employs well-known novelists to write their short biographies. Just as Jane Smiley's Dickens: A Life does, Edna O'Brien's Joyce: A Life presents a story. Her Joyce is not the same as Ellmann's Joyce, or Gilbert's Joyce, or the Joyce presented by his brother Stanislaus, although O'Brien acknowledges her indebtedness to those biographies. O'Brien's Joyce is a unique character, earthy and full of passion and hubris, with the story constructed around the development of Joyce's work.

The writing in this biography is playful and referential, inspired by a close reading of both Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake. The book contains some of the most concise and well-crafted summaries of these two works that I have encountered anywhere. Of course, there is far more to Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake than any summary can convey, but O'Brien assumes the reader's interest and familiarity and makes a tender and informed connection between the events of Joyce's life and the resulting work.

The biography unfolds chronologically, beginning with Joyce's school days and presenting the context of Ireland at the time, as well as his relationships with his father and mother, which are crucial, as any reader of Ulysses would know, to his characters. It then quickly moves into Joyce's adult life, his relationship with Nora Barnacle, and his move to Italy, where he struggles with his appetites, his penchant for debauchery, and his meager finances. Later, there are patronages, support and rebukes, censorship, health problems, business ventures, and the loss of his eyesight, war, and a series of betrayals, some of which are brilliantly avenged in the pages of his work. Ireland, of course, is Joyce's greatest betrayer, failing to publish or promote him and driving him into permanent exile, a subject that O'Brien understands and portrays masterfully. Above all, O'Brien takes pleasure in the words that Joyce has left behind, words that have become the centerpiece of this concise yet powerful biography.

O'Brien is never critical of the man, even when he rather flippantly abuses the unwavering affection and support of Harriet Weaver. Readers will also feel sympathy for Nora, who is left to fend for herself with little financial support and two young children while James lives it up. Nora is so well-portrayed in this book that the connection between Molly Bloom and Nora becomes crystal clear. Others who are sacrificed on the altar of Joyce's art include his brother Stanislaus and his children. Although there is little mention of young Giorgio, Lucia's madness and Joyce's influence on it, as well as the pain it causes him and his work, are both chronicled. Although O'Brien's Joyce is a flawed character, often abusing others with a self-confidence bordering on narcissism, he remains both fascinating and oddly likeable. For those of us, like O'Brien, who are deeply in Joyce's literary debt for what he has created and who cannot imagine the world of literature without the linguistic play his writing has enabled, this is a joyful book, full of fun, interest, and great imagination. I suspect that Joyce himself would have approved.

Article first published as Book Review: James Joyce: A Life by Edna O'Brien on Blogcritics.

Highly recommend the audio version.

It is truly a great pleasure to sample Joyce's novels through audio books. You will be completely mesmerized by his remarkable linguistic skill and his meticulous attention to the sound and beauty of words. This makes the books extremely approachable.

Edna O'Brien writes so lyrically with enthusiastic flourishes when she describes James Joyce's writing, and it pairs up very well with listening to Joyce. The section on Ulysses will give you the confidence that you can venture into some of the chapters without getting frustrated and giving up, as Joyce can be quite obscure. (I, for one, am going to attempt Chapter 18, Penelope.)

She does a wonderful job of outlining Joyce's life and his many flaws. In fact, the only thing that can really be praised about Joyce is his writing.

If you are seeking a more standard biography that objectively delves into most of the layers that Joyce presents both as a person and in his books, you might prefer the Ellmann biography.

However, this audio version offers a unique and engaging way to experience Joyce's works and gain a deeper understanding of his literary genius.

An odd experience indeed: during my college days, I seemingly had a profound love for Joyce. I delved into his works and even read Ellmann's biography. I was of the opinion that Joyce was more or less right about everything.

Here I am, less than 15 years later, reading O'Brien's short life in anticipation of re-reading Joyce's work (excluding the Wake). However, I have arrived at almost the exact opposite conclusion. I now think that Joyce is more or less wrong about everything. He was an awful human being who hid behind tiresome romantic cliches regarding Truth and Beauty. His prodigious linguistic talents were squandered on puerile and dull topics and ideas. He wrote at great length about his own non-existent victimization and the objects he had fondled at various times, and then justified it all with some half-hearted discussion of the inner spiritual essence of whatever.

And this book exacerbates those feelings, simply because O'Brien allows those cliches and puerilities to be regarded as marks of Genius and Independence. She believes that "writers have to be such monsters in order to create," which is so blatantly false that it's difficult to fathom what she is talking about.

On the positive side, it is a short and relatively easy read. O'Brien throws in the odd Joyceism, but they can be ignored. The real problem, as with anyone who self-consciously follows Joyce, is that she writes sentences rather than paragraphs. That's fine if you want to quote a hagiographical sentiment in a pub, but not so great if you want to read, understand, or, heaven forbid, criticize what you are reading.

More specifically, there is almost nothing in her about PAYM, and I have no idea why.

James Joyce is a highly influential figure in the world of literature.

He was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1882. Joyce's life was filled with both struggles and triumphs. He had a complex relationship with his homeland, which is often reflected in his works.

His thinking was deeply influenced by various philosophical and literary traditions. He was interested in exploring the inner workings of the human mind and the nature of consciousness.

Joyce's writing is known for its experimental style and its use of stream-of-consciousness technique. His works, such as "Ulysses" and "Finnegans Wake," are considered masterpieces of modernist literature.

Despite facing initial criticism and censorship, Joyce's works have had a profound impact on subsequent generations of writers. His unique approach to storytelling and his exploration of the human condition continue to inspire and challenge readers today.

Overall, James Joyce is a remarkable writer whose life, thinking, and writing have left an indelible mark on the history of literature.

Hardly a standard biography and not quite literary criticism either, though there are elements of both here certainly.

It would perhaps be too glib to call this a portrait of the artist. O’Brien assumes her readers have a familiarity with both the outline of Joyce’s life and his major works.

She dives right into the story, parodying Joyce’s style.

Once upon a time there was a man coming down a road in Dublin and he gave himself the name of Dedalus the sorcerer, constructor of labyrinths and maker of wings for Icarus who flew so close to the sun that he fell, as the apostolic Dubliner James Joyce would fall deep into a world of words—from the “epiphanies” of youth to the epistomadologies of later years.

Baby Tuckoo indeed. I liked this, it was refreshing. However, I could not recommend it to anyone who hasn’t already read Richard Ellmann’s 1959 biography, which Anthony Burgess called “the greatest literary biography of the century”.

One should also be familiar enough with Joyce’s output that the allusions and references make sense.

In which case, this will prove a lovingly eccentric reflection on the author’s life and work.

Finished this on the last day of the year.

All in all, I truly enjoyed this book. It presumes that the reader has perused Joyce's works (as there are spoilers aplenty throughout; some in great detail) and is well-versed in Joyce's life. I, on the other hand, came in having read only one of his books and knowing next to nothing about his life.

In those respects, the book breezes through Joyce's life, spotlighting the key details and significant events, without delving into analysis or providing explanations. In truth, none are really necessary. Some questions were raised due to my lack of knowledge, so perhaps one day a more comprehensive biography would be in order.

I've got to admit that I'm now rather intrigued by the missing details regarding how he became the person he was. Joyce comes across as a somewhat arrogant individual, but beneath the surface, he seems to live with a great deal of loneliness and insecurity. Then again, maybe not.

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(page 47)

I'm not entirely sure whether to laugh or not. I entered this book with very minimal knowledge about Joyce's life.

So far, O'Brien presents Joyce's life in small snippets of fact, interwoven with a Joycean-type writing style of filler. It's a rather Ulyssian read for such a diminutive book.

That being said, many of the events in Joyce's life appear to have resurfaced in Ulysses and, according to O'Brien, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The man seemingly didn't forget a single fact of the events he lived through. Incredible memory indeed. And excellent journal-keeping.

The timelines are rather jumpy: we move through Joyce's childhood, then leap to his father's teenage/pre-marriage years, then to his father's deathbed, and then back to young adult Joyce.

According to O'Brien's interpretation, Joyce was a complete jerk in many ways. Bummer, if that's true. However, I'm not convinced that O'Brien's interpretation is anywhere close to the truth, aside from a few well-documented chronological facts.

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(pg 101)

Strange little book, yet enjoyable in a rather odd way. The author assumes that the reader has a basic understanding of Joyce's life. It's a bit disjointed and somewhat lacking in details, but there's enough there to maintain interest, and someone like myself, who doesn't know much about Joyce, can still keep up and find this an engaging read.

There's some commentary on his works (so those who don't want minor spoilers to his work might want to postpone reading this book until after reading them), some commentary on his life, and a basic overview of his life. He doesn't come across as a particularly nice person most of the time.

Edna O'Brien offers a deeply compassionate perspective on the tumultuous and tortured existence of James Joyce.

She delves into the lives of not only Joyce himself but also his wife, children, parents, and siblings.

Almost without fail, the details within his books are sourced from the experiences of these beloved individuals, as well as his friends, competitors, foes, and the city of Dublin.

Alcoholism, guilt, mental illness, deteriorating eyesight, and various other undiagnosed health issues were among the personal trials that Joyce had to confront.

Despite these numerous challenges, he managed to pen great stories that have endured through the ages.

His ability to create such masterpieces in the face of so much adversity is truly remarkable and a testament to his extraordinary talent and determination.

O'Brien's exploration of Joyce's life provides a fascinating and poignant insight into the man behind the literary legend.