wp-james-joyce

James Joyce exhibition and talk

Events are being held around the world this year to mark the centenary of James Joyce’s influential novel, Ulysses, which was first published in book form in February 1922 in Paris.

Structured on Homer’s epic The Odyssey, the events in Joyce’s experimental work take place on a single day in Dublin as central character Leopold Bloom travels in and around the city.

For the occasion, Special Collections has mounted an exhibition, James Joyce: in his wake, that highlights several works by the Irish modernist writer, including Ulysses, some early poetry and his final novel, Finnegans Wake. The exhibition also features writing, music, fine printing and art inspired by Joyce’s unique voice.

English Professor Erin G. Carlston will reflect on Joyce and his legacy in an associated lunchtime talk for students and staff on Tuesday 31 May. Some of Professor Carlston’s literature students will also talk about their recent Ulysses projects.

These activities are among several being held in libraries in Aotearoa that celebrate `Bloomsday’ on 16 June – the day (in 1904) on which Ulysses is set and which Joyce chose in tribute to the day he first went out with his future wife, Nora Barnacle.

  • Visit the exhibition at Special Collections, General Library Level G from Monday 30 May until Wednesday 29 June.
  • Hear Professor Carlston talk about Joyce and his legacy at 12noon-12.45pm on Tuesday 31 May. Gather at the exhibition; seating is limited to 30 people.

Jo Birks, Special Collections

Image: Works related to Joyce’s novel, Finnegans Wake, in Special Collections: Contact collection of contemporary writers (1925), Anna Livia Plurabelle (1928) and Haveth childers everywhere (1931).