'Bloomsday': 100 Years of James Joyce's 'Ulysses'

by James Burkinshaw and Bryony Hart

Every year, June 16th is 'Bloomsday', on which thousands of literature-lovers across the globe celebrate James Joyce's Ulysses, widely viewed as the greatest novel of the twentieth century, one that transformed the literary landscape. 

The events of the novel take place in a city that is (and is not) Dublin, on one day in the life of Leopold Bloom: June 16, 1904 (hence the name and date of 'Bloomsday'). From Dublin to Sydney, Tokyo to Boston, 'Bloomsday' celebrations take the form of readings of the whole novel (often taking up to 36 hours), dramatic performances, pub crawls (which feature strongly in the novel), not to mention tweets and TikTok videos. 

This year is a particularly special one: the 100th anniversary of Ulysses' publication in 1922. To acknowledge this literary landmark, PGS Literary Society today welcomed Tom McCarthy to share his insights about Joyce's magnum opus and to offer his inspired reading of some key passages from Ulysses. In addition, PGS' own Ms Burns gave a compelling performance of Molly Bloom's powerful monologue from the end of the novel.  

Mr McCarthy has spent a lifetime steeped in the work of James Joyce. He explained to the 25 pupils in attendance why Ulysses remains such a significant literary achievement, even a hundred years after publication, quoting Joyce himself: "In Ulysses, I have recorded simultaneously what a (person) says, does, sees, thinks and what such seeing, thinking, saying does to what you Freudians call the subconscious."  

James Joyce consciously initiated an artistic revolution, while deeply aware of his place within a tradition dating back to the dawn of literature: "The most beautiful, all-embracing theme is that of the Odyssey, Why am I always returning to this theme? Now in mezzo del cammin I find the subject of Ulysses the most beautiful in world literature. Ulysses did not want to go off to Troy; he knew that the official reason for the war, the dissemination of the culture of Hellas was only a pretext for the Greek merchants, who were seeking new markets, After Troy, there is no further talk of Achilles, Menelaus, Agamemnon. Only one man is not done with; his heroic career has hardly begun: Ulysses."

It was a privilege to join so many thousands of other devotees of Ulysses across the world today in celebrating this extraordinary work of literature on its centenary.