Books by James Joyce
James Joyce (1882-1941) was an Irish author, part of the modernist avant-garde movement, and is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. His grand oeuvre, Ulysses, is notoriously hard to read, and yet those who have read it—often with the help of some sort of guide—say the payoff is “immense pleasure: no book gets closer to the ineffable experience of human play and tragedy.”
If you’re starting out on reading Joyce, his other works recommended on Five Books may be an easier starting point: his short story collection, Dubliners, or his first novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. In addition to its literary merit, the novel is also an important insight into modern Irish history, according to historian Richard Bourke.
Ulysses
by James Joyce
Ulysses by James Joyce is one of the masterpieces of modernist literature, a movement at the beginning of the 20th century when the traditional storylines of the Victorian novel were left behind to experiment with new ways of expressing human experience. Though hard to read, those who have made the effort are often enthralled by it and regard it as among the very best books they've ever read. For that reason alone, Ulysses is worth pursuing, possibly with the help of a guide:
A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man
by James Joyce
A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man was James Joyce’s first novel, published in 1916, and the best one to start with if you’re new to his writing.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is not only a great place to start on the books by Irish novelist James Joyce, it’s also recommended by historian Richard Bourke as a way of understanding modern Irish history. He says, “Joyce’s depiction is one of Ireland in the aftermath of the fall of Parnell. At the start of the 1890s, much of Ireland glimpsed the prospect of national unity based around Parnell himself, embodying a national project, whilst offering credible leadership. This, as the Portrait reflects, fell apart under the weight of sexual scandal and ensuing religious polarities.”
“Irish intellectual life is deeply indebted to its literary culture…Joyce’s depiction is one of Ireland in the aftermath of the fall of Parnell. At the start of the 1890s, much of Ireland glimpsed the prospect of national unity based around Parnell himself, embodying a national project, whilst offering credible leadership. This, as the Portrait reflects, fell apart under the weight of sexual scandal and ensuing religious polarities. One can see all the characters participating in the Christmas dinner scene as representing different strands of contemporary Irish opinion.” Read more...
The best books on Modern Irish History
Richard Bourke, Historian
“I was a young soldier on an abandoned mountain in Sinai, in 1973. It was 41 degrees Celsius, and I was reading about a holiday evening dinner, with duck on the table and snow outside. It was so far away from me, an Irish home, all so foreign and unfamiliar. I was fascinated by it. It is the perfect story—you can almost touch the characters, and yet it is told from a remote point of view, from a distance but not without affection.” Read more...
David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him
David Grossman, Novelist
Finnegans Wake
by James Joyce
"riverrun, past Eve and Adams, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth, Castle and Environs"—opening line of Finnegans Wake (1939) by James Joyce, which famously starts mid-sentence. As Len Platt, Professor of Modern Literatures at Goldsmiths, writes in the introduction to the Wordsworth edition: Joyce's last important work "remains his most challenging by a very long way. Its great strangeness alienated many of Joyce's earlier readers."
Interviews where books by James Joyce were recommended
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1
Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor’s Son
by Sholem Aleichem -
2
The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories
by Bruno Schultz and Celina Wieniewska (translator) -
3
Dubliners
by James Joyce -
4
Mario and the Magician and Other Stories
by Thomas Mann -
5
History: A Novel
by Elsa Morante and William Weaver (translator)
David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him
David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him
David Grossman, renowned Israeli author and winner of the 2017 Man Booker International Prize, shares the books that have shaped his writing, from Sholem Aleichem to James Joyce and Elsa Morante
The best books on Modern Irish History, recommended by Richard Bourke
A “powerful and aggravating absence of consensus” came to define the Irish political experience, says the historian Richard Bourke. Here he picks the best books for gaining a range of perspectives on Irish history, singling out James Joyce as offering insight into the divergence of nationalist opinion.
The Best Long Books To Read in Lockdown, recommended by Five Books
If you’re stuck in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, it might be time to finally crack open that one long read you always meant to get around to, but slid down your list of books for whatever reason—not enough time, too many pages. Problem is, there are so many monster doorstoppers, and it can be hard to tell which are worth your time. The Five Books editors weigh in:
Robin Robertson on Books that Influenced Him
“That’s what writing is: a struggle with oneself.” Scottish poet Robin Robertson—author of the verse novel The Long Take, shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize—lists the five works that have most influenced his writing, from Ulysses to Heaney.
The best books on Streams of Consciousness, recommended by Charles Fernyhough
Is it possible to describe or study our inner experience, and – if so – how might one go about it? Charles Fernyhough, professor of psychology and author of The Voices Within chooses five of the best books that employ or examine streams of consciousness.
The Best Novels in English, recommended by Robert McCrum
Journalist Robert McCrum spent two years selecting the best novels ever written in English. Here he narrows it down to just five: a perfect introduction to the best fiction the English language has to offer.
