9781914979255
A timeless study of a man who revolutionized the literary landscape.
James Joyce (1882–1941) is hailed as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Rejecting his homeland and its religion as a young man, Joyce went on to reinvent the Dublin of his youth in his fiction. His masterpiece, Ulysses—once banned in Britain and the United States—redefined the modern novel and has become a canonical classic. Finnegans Wake, written as Joyce’s eyesight deteriorated, cemented his legacy as one of the founding figures of modernist literature.
In a revised edition of this lucid and compelling biography, containing a new foreword from the author, crucial events in Joyce’s life, from his self-imposed exile to his creative triumphs, are explored vividly. Ian Pindar reveals how Joyce’s work carefully blends the abstract and the mundane, capturing the great human comedy of which we are all part.
James Joyce (1882–1941) is hailed as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Rejecting his homeland and its religion as a young man, Joyce went on to reinvent the Dublin of his youth in his fiction. His masterpiece, Ulysses—once banned in Britain and the United States—redefined the modern novel and has become a canonical classic. Finnegans Wake, written as Joyce’s eyesight deteriorated, cemented his legacy as one of the founding figures of modernist literature.
In a revised edition of this lucid and compelling biography, containing a new foreword from the author, crucial events in Joyce’s life, from his self-imposed exile to his creative triumphs, are explored vividly. Ian Pindar reveals how Joyce’s work carefully blends the abstract and the mundane, capturing the great human comedy of which we are all part.
176 pages | 5.08 x 7.8 | © 2025
History: British and Irish History
Literature and Literary Criticism: British and Irish Literature

Reviews
Table of Contents
Introduction by Terry Eagleton vii
From Baby Tuckoo to Sunny Jim (1882–1898) 1
The Dante of Dublin (1898–1902) 17
The Wanderer (1902–1904) 27
Nora (1904) 37
Self exiled in upon his ego (1904–1907) 47
OMINOUS – FOR HIM! (1907–1912) 57
Litterarum Anglicarum Pontifex Maximus (1912–1922) 66
The Blue Book of Eccles 87
O! Infamy! (1922–1927) 97
The Strangest Dream that was ever Halfdreamt 103
Inkbattle (1927–1941) 118
Envoy: mememormee! 136
Notes 140
Chronology 150
List of Works 158
Further Reading 160
Acknowledgements 165
Picture Sources 166
Index 167
From Baby Tuckoo to Sunny Jim (1882–1898) 1
The Dante of Dublin (1898–1902) 17
The Wanderer (1902–1904) 27
Nora (1904) 37
Self exiled in upon his ego (1904–1907) 47
OMINOUS – FOR HIM! (1907–1912) 57
Litterarum Anglicarum Pontifex Maximus (1912–1922) 66
The Blue Book of Eccles 87
O! Infamy! (1922–1927) 97
The Strangest Dream that was ever Halfdreamt 103
Inkbattle (1927–1941) 118
Envoy: mememormee! 136
Notes 140
Chronology 150
List of Works 158
Further Reading 160
Acknowledgements 165
Picture Sources 166
Index 167
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