"Today the bards must drink and junket. Ireland expects that every man this day will do his duty."
102 years ago is the journey of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus through the busy streets of Dublin.
Ulysses, in my mind, cannot be overstated in its power. All manner of passion, anxiety, the weight of history, the lure of sex and drink, the human condition, are rendered immediate and visceral. Taking the Odyssey, and rendering it as the journey of everyman is absolute genius. Our lives are epic, if you bother to look.
Ever wonder how someone might transcribe an entire pub's worth of conversation? This book changed my life forever. It is not an easy thing-nothing worthwhile ever is. I recommend reading it aloud-this way, the dialect becomes real, and more understandable.
I cannot do such a thing of wonderous magick any justice other than suggesting you get yourself a copy and a pint, and dive in.
it is one of my life's regrets that I did not have discipline to read this novel at a time in my life when i actually had an inordinate amount of "sitting around doing nothing" time.
ReplyDeleteNow, the weight of the book seems too much for that subway commute on the 4 train...
There is an outstanding bar in way lower manhattan called Ulysses...its a great Irish pub just off Wall Street, and the wall are adorned with giant pictures/paintings of two things - James Joyce and Irish stuff, Ulysses S. Grant, and Civil War stuff.