Selected Letters of James Joyce

The edition I had the pleasure of reading was the paperback version of the 1975 edition.

It's important to note that this is the one with the so-called "dirty bits". I'm truly grateful to Mr. Ellison and others for their painstaking labor of scholarship that went into putting this edition together.

Joyce was a remarkable polyglot. While the majority of the correspondence is in English, there are also missives in French, German, Italian, Danish, and even in the vernacular peculiar to Trieste, Zurich, and other places where the Joyces lived.

The book contains extensive notations that assist the reader in understanding the "who's who" among Joyce's extensive social and professional acquaintances and friends. Additionally, there are introductory essays at the beginning of each of the "chapters" of Joyce's life.

The early letters are mainly focused on Joyce's monetary difficulties, which are detailed painstakingly, especially in his letters to his brother. When Nora and James are separated due to the latter's return to Ireland for a business venture, the most intimate letters are exchanged. It would have been wonderful if Nora's contributions had been included along with her husband's.

For James, the human body is glorified in all its manifestations. The middle sections cover a wide range of subjects, but Joyce's concern over the publication and reception of Ulysses tends to take center stage. In the later years, his attention alternates between worry for his daughter's mental deterioration and his work on the "Work In Progress" (also known as Finnegans Wake) and the ever-looming threat of war.

All in all, this volume is truly a cause for re-joyce-ing.

I finished reading James Joyce’s letters last night. The emotional impact they carried is still with me, so I had to write this post now.

They are emotional because I have just finished reading the last thing James Joyce ever wrote. And no, it wasn’t Finnegans Wake, it was a postcard to his brother, offering advice about how to keep him safe during the war, which was two years old. At the end of his life, Joyce’s protective instincts for his family were embedded in his last literary gesture.

The letters are a rollercoaster. Whereas Ellmann’s celebrated biography provides structure and rumination at the different stages of Joyce’s life, here the passage of time is unadorned and unadulterated. They offer first-hand access to the life of a literary genius. From his early ego-filled literary pronouncements, his burning jealousies of his wife’s lovers and ex-lovers, his immense frustration at trying to get published whilst preserving his literary focus and not compromising his intent, to the raw affection he held for the small coterie of people around him – his wife, his son and daughter, his brother and sisters, and his father. Family has always featured strongly in all of Joyce’s work and while the letters show him to be at times obstinate, pedantic, arrogant, penny-pinching, and inconsiderate, they also show him to be loving, tender, caring, incisive and generous.

The collection contains the grouping of naughty letters to Nora that have gained notoriety for their explicit nature. Reading these again, after the humour and shock have died away, it is clear they represent both a fascination for the human body immortalised in Ulysses, and also the tender nature of desire he feels for his wife – the proximity of spirit and soul he wishes to attain with her by physical means. They are not merely salacious or scandalous; they also express a new language of love Joyce wanted to propound, a way of inserting intensity in words to represent the feelings Joyce bore.

The letters also express the deep struggle Joyce had throughout his life with literature, both in writing and publishing it. This is most frustratingly felt with the interminable to and fro with printers for the publication of Dubliners. Their refusal to accept responsibility for any likely lawsuits prompted several changes to his stories, changes Joyce did not want to make, or saw why he should. His frustration comes across time and time again, as does his intellectual superiority and resolute belief in himself. If Joyce were alive today would he go through a traditional publisher or would he take up the mantle of indie publishing to get the blasted thing done himself? The answer in these letters is abundantly clear: his literary independence screams from the pages from beginning to last.

It is an exciting time to be a Joycean, and to read his letters. His work having recently come out of copyright means there is more than ever to read and review; his early struggles to become published provide an interesting context in which to view the state of global publishing today, and its various power shifts. The letters offer direct and straightforward access to a man who so often in his works has been maligned as deliberately intending to confuse or be ambiguous; they reveal a startlingly human and vulnerable man, prone to outbursts of temper, but also to sublime melancholy and, to those loyal to him, unlimited kindness.

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Him and Nora! Oh my goodness, they are so extremely SEXED up!!! It's like there is an intense and palpable energy between them that just cannot be ignored. Every time they are together, it seems as if the air around them is charged with a certain kind of electricity. Their eyes meet, and it's as if a spark ignites. The way they interact, the little touches, the lingering glances, all of it screams of a passionate connection. It's almost as if they are in their own little world, completely consumed by their desires for each other. You can just feel the heat radiating off of them. It's truly a sight to behold, and one can't help but be drawn in by their intense and SEXED up relationship.

The 1975 edition is truly remarkable as it encompasses all the so-called 'dirty' letters that were written to Nora in 1909.

These letters are filled with rather unseemly content, including references to farts and other such things.

However, despite the somewhat unappealing nature of the subject matter, this collection is actually a must-read.

The author, who is otherwise an extremely articulate and lyrical man, reveals a side of himself that is quite unexpected with these dirty thoughts.

It provides a fascinating insight into the complexity of human nature and the duality that can exist within a single individual.

Reading these letters can be both shocking and enlightening, as it forces us to confront the less savory aspects of our own desires and impulses.

Overall, the 1975 edition is a unique and valuable addition to the literary canon, offering a perspective that is both titillating and thought-provoking.

Beckett held the view that Ellmann should not have made public the smutty letters Joyce had written to Nora. However, Beckett was incorrect in this regard.

These letters play a crucial role in helping us gain a deeper understanding of the artist who penned the Molly chapter of Ulysses. They provide a fascinating glimpse into the incredibly stressful life that this great artist endured while in the process of creating one of the most remarkable novels in literary history.

By examining these letters, we can see the raw emotions, the personal struggles, and the complex relationships that influenced Joyce's创作. It allows us to appreciate the magnitude of his achievement and the sacrifices he made in order to bring this masterpiece to life.

Rather than being a source of embarrassment or controversy, these letters offer valuable insights into the mind and heart of a literary giant.

Some of the most brilliant, hilarious, whacky, and bawdy letters I have ever read in the English language.

Where to begin? This volume is filled with more juicy Joycebits than one could shake a bandy stick at!

Not only does it offer a wonderful opportunity to delve into one of the greatest minds of the 20th Century, but it also reveals who Joyce was getting along with, who he was not, and even provides some clues to FW! Yes, there is a plethora of explanations for all Wake scholars, probably listed elsewhere in Joycean studies.

The main people Joyce corresponded with in his younger life were Stanislaus Joyce or 'Stanny' (his brother who ran to his aid, or more specifically, to Nora's aid), Nora Barnacle Joyce (his wife), and various other Italian intellectuals and writers he met while in Trieste.

In the middle and second-half of his life, Joyce often wrote to Ezra Pound (someone who both championed Joyce's work and helped introduce him to other illustrious figures, greatly boosting Joyce's career), Harriet Shaw Weaver (a true and steadfast benefactress and friend who provided not only much-needed financial support but also emotional support. I came away thinking she was truly one of his best friends upon whom he relied), and finally, fellow poet/writers T. S. Elliot and Yeats.

If I wasn't already impressed by Joyce's incredible erudition, wit, and humour, what amazed me even more was his proficiency in Italian, French, German, and even Danish! I knew he majored in Italian at university, but his command of the language in these letters, even though I'm no expert in Italian but can read French fairly well, is truly captivating. He even manages to make his very tongue-in-cheek style highly translatable and readable for the Italian reader.

The last 50 pages were difficult to read due to the sharp decline in his physical health, the evident torpor of his mind that began to set in, the institutionalization of his schizophrenic daughter in an asylum, the break-up of his son's marriage, and finally, the confusion and chaos at the outbreak of WWII when his family had to flee France for Switzerland.

For someone either highly revered or slandered by the Irish, this man spent very little time in Ireland after 1904. No wonder he wrote a play called The Exiles. He spent the majority of his last 40 years moving back and forth between Trieste, Zurich, and Paris, among other cities in Europe. He ended up dying in Zurich, and I heard there is a beautiful statue of him there that I would love to see one day.

I don't think I'm quite ready for the three-volume complete letters of JJ yet, but this volume is like being served a main course when you're expecting an appetizer. It's a titillating and hilarious book (I didn't think books of letters could be so entertaining!) that also contains some of the filthiest letters I've ever read - his letters to Nora Joyce about their sex life. In short, there's a little bit of everything in here for everyone. I cannot recommend this highly enough. It's absolutely sensational.

I read some excerpts from a book, and my goodness, they were truly amazing. The words seemed to dance off the page, captivating my attention and sparking my imagination.

I found myself completely engrossed in the stories and ideas presented, eager to know more.

This book has a certain charm and allure that I can't quite put into words. It's as if it has a life of its own, drawing me in and making me want to explore every single page.

I have a strong desire to own this book, to have it on my shelf and be able to pick it up whenever I please.

I can just imagine spending countless hours lost in its pages, experiencing the emotions and adventures that await.

Flatulence, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. It's an involuntary bodily function that can sometimes be rather embarrassing.

But in the context of this writing, it seems out of place and perhaps a bit of a random addition.

Nevertheless, it does add a touch of humor or perhaps a strange juxtaposition to the overall tone.

Overall, I'm still very much drawn to this book and can't wait to get my hands on it.

James Joyce is truly one of the most extraordinarily fascinating individuals who have ever walked the face of the earth.

His letters, carefully and judiciously selected for this volume by Richard Ellmann, offer a captivating and detailed portrait of a man for whom his very life was an art form.

Joyce's unique perspective and creative genius are evident in every word he wrote. Through his letters, we catch glimpses of his inner thoughts, his struggles, his joys, and his unwavering dedication to his craft.

Ellmann's selection process has ensured that only the most significant and revealing letters are included, providing readers with a comprehensive and intimate look into the life and mind of this literary giant.

The result is a volume that is not only a valuable resource for scholars and enthusiasts of Joyce's work but also a captivating read for anyone interested in the life and times of one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.