James Joyce
Biographies
Welcome, O Life! And welcome to the life of James Joyce.
The occupation with the life of James Joyce may seem at times obsessive. But the plethora of biographies are both a testament to his enduring influence on modernist literature and crucial tools for understanding his complex works. The nuances of his personal experiences are deeply embedded in his writings and are key to fully appreciating the contributions of James Joyce to literature.
Below is a curated list of biographical books and articles about Joyce's life.
Contextual Understanding
Scholars believe that examining Joyce's life provides essential context to his work. His writings are deeply intertwined with his personal experiences, the cultural and historical milieu of Ireland, and his extensive network of literary and personal relationships. Understanding these elements can illuminate the themes, styles, and innovations in his literature.
Literary Evolution
Joyce's life story mirrors the evolution of his literary style. From the relatively straightforward narratives in "Dubliners" to the complex, stream-of-consciousness technique in "Ulysses," and finally the experimental language of "Finnegans Wake," Joyce’s biography helps readers trace the development of his unique literary voice.
Reflection of Personal Beliefs and Challenges
Joyce's works often reflect his personal beliefs, his own struggles, and the challenges he faced, such as his complicated relationship with Ireland, his self-imposed exile, and his views on religion, nationalism, and language. Biographies offer insights into how these factors influenced his writing.
Contribution to Modernism
Understanding Joyce's life is crucial for comprehending his contribution to modernist literature. His innovative techniques and themes did not arise in a vacuum but were shaped by his life experiences, education, and the literary circles he interacted with.
Myth vs. Reality
Joyce scholars also note the importance of separating the myth from the reality. Joyce’s persona, both self-crafted and built by others, plays a role in the interpretation of his works. Biographies help demystify Joyce, presenting a more nuanced view of the man behind the myth.
Cultural and Social Impact
Biographies also highlight Joyce's impact on the social and cultural landscapes of his time, providing a broader understanding of his role not just as a writer but as a cultural figure.
Bibliography for James Joyce —
Biographies
| Author | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson, Chester G. | James Joyce : with 124 illustrations. New York (Thames and Hudson) 1986. | Amazon |
| Anderson, Chester G. | James Joyce and His World. London (Thames & Hudson) 1967. | Amazon |
| Arnold, Armin. | James Joyce. Berlin (Colloquium Verlag) 1963. | Amazon |
| Beja, Morris. | James Joyce: A Literary Life. Basingstoke (Macmillan) 1992. | Book |
| Benstock, Bernard. | James Joyce. New York (Unger) 1985. | Book |
| Berrone, Louis. | James Joyce in Padua. New York (Random) 1977. | Book |
| Bradley, Bruce. | James Joyce's Schooldays. Dublin (Gill & Macmillan) 1982. | Book |
| Budgen, Frank. | Further Recollections of James Joyce. London (Shenval) 1955. | Book |
| Budgen, Frank. | Myselves When Young. New York (Oxford University Press) 1970. | Book |
| Byrne, John Francis. | The Silent Years: An Autobiography with Memoirs of James Joyce and Our Ireland. New York (Farrar, Straus & Young) 1953. | Book |
| Cato, Bob / Vitello, Greg (Eds.). | Joyce Images. New York (Norton) 1994. Introduction by Anthony Burgess. | Book |
| Cixous, Hélèn | The Exile of James Joyce. New York (D. Lewis) 1972. | Book |
| Colum, Padraic / Colum, Mary. | Our Friend James Joyce. London (Doubleday) 1958. | Book |
| Colum, Padraic, | "James Joyce," in: Pearson's Magazine (May 1918), p.38-41. | Article |
| Costello, Peter. | James Joyce: The Years of Growth (1882-1915). London (Roberts Rinehart) 1992. | Book |
| Curran, C. P. | James Joyce Remembered. London (Oxford University Press) 1968. | Book |
| Davies, S.G. | James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist. London (Davis-Poynter) 1975. | Book |
| Eckley, Grace. | The Steadfast James Joyce: A Social Context for the Early Joyce. San Bernardino (Borgo) 1997. | Book |
| Edel, Léon | James Joyce: The Last Journey. New York (Gotham Book Mart) 1947. | Book |
| Ellmann, Richard. | James Joyce. New York (Oxford University Press) 1959. Rev. ed. 1984. | Amazon |
| Ellmann, Richard. | Yeats and Joyce. Dublin: Dolmen Press, 1967. | Book |
| Ellmann, Richard. | Four Dubliners: Wilde, Yeats, Joyce, and Beckett. Washington DC (Library of Congress) 1986. New York (G. Braziller) 1987. | Book |
| Ellmann, Richard (Ed.). | Selected Joyce Letters. New York (The Viking Press) 1975. | Book |
| Freund, Gisèle | Trois Jours avec James Joyce. Paris (Denoil) 1982. | Book |
| Freund, Gisèle / Carlington, V.B | James Joyce in Paris: His Final Years. London (Cassell) 1966. | Book |
| Gilbert, Stuart. | Reflections on James Joyce. Stuart Gilbert's Paris Journal. Eds. Thomas F. Staley / Randolph Lewis, Austin (University of Texas Press) 1993. | Book |
| Goldberg, S.L. | James Joyce. New York (Oliver&Boyd) 1963. | Book |
| Goldman, Arnold. | James Joyce. London/New York (Routledge) 1968. | Book |
| Gorman, Herbert S. | James Joyce. A Definitive Biography. New York (Farrar & Rhinehart) 1939. Rev. ed. 1948. | Book |
| Gorman, Herbert Sherman. | James Joyce: A Definitive Biography. London (John Lane) 1941. | Book |
| Gorman, Herbert Sherman. | James Joyce: His First Forty Years. Philadelphia (R. West) 1977. | Book |
| Grose, Kenneth. | James Joyce. New York (Viking) 1970. London (Evans) 1975. | Book |
| Halper, Nathan. | The Early James Joyce. New York (Columbia University Press) 1973. | Book |
| Hartshorn, Peter. | James Joyce and Trieste. (Greenwood Publishing) 1997. | Book |
| Hutchins, Patricia. | James Joyce's World. London (Methuen) 1957. | Book |
| Jackson, John Wyse / Costello, Peter. | John Stanislaus Joyce: The Voluminous Life and Genius of James Joyce's Father. New York (St. Martin's Press) 1998. | Book |
| James, David P. | James Joyce. Scotland (Geddes & Gosset) 2001. | Book |
| Jolas, Eugene. | "My friend James Joyce," in: James Joyce. Two Decades of Criticism. New York 1949. | Article |
| Joyce, Stanislaus. | The Complete Dublin Diary of Stanislaus Joyce. Ed. George Healy. Ithaca, NY (Cornell University Press) 1971. | Book |
| Joyce, Stanislaus. | My Brother's Keeper: James Joyce's Early Years. Ed. Richard Ellmann. Da Capo Press 2003. | Amazon |
| Joyce, Stanislaus. | Recollections of James Joyce. Translated from the Italian by Ellsworth Mason. New York (James Joyce Society) 1950. | Book |
| Larbaud, Valéry | "James Joyce," in: Nouvelle Revue Francaise XVIII (April 1922), p.385-405. Rep.as"The Ulysses of James Joyce," in: Criterion I.I (Oct.1922), p.94-103 and as preface to Gens de Dublin, Paris 1926. | Article |
| Levin, Harry. | James Joyce. London (Faber & Faber) 1941. | Book |
| Litz, A. Walton. | James Joyce. New York (Twayne) 1966. | Book |
| Maddox, Brenda. | Nora: The Real Life of Molly Bloom. Boston and New York (Houghton Mifflin-Mariner) 2000. | Book |
| Mayoux, Jean Jacques. | Joyce. Paris (Gallimard) 1965. | Book |
| McCourt, John. | The Years of Bloom: James Joyce in Trieste, 1904-1920. Dublin (Lilliput Press) 2000. | Book |
| McCourt, John. | James Joyce and Nora: Passionate Exiles. London (Orion) 2000. | Book |
| O'Brien, Edna. | James Joyce: Author of 'Ulysses'. London (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) 2020. | Amazon |
| O'Connor, Ulick (Ed.). | The Joyce We Knew. Cork (Mercier) 2004. | Book |
| Oeser, Hans-Christian. | James Joyce: Leben, Werk, Wirkung. Suhrkamp 2006 | Amazon |
| Pound, Ezra. | "James Joyce at 40," in: New Age XVI (Jan.1924), p.307-308. | Article |
| Quennell, Peter. | "James Joyce," in: Books and Characters: French & English. London (Collins) 1922, p.198-214. | Article |
| Rathjen, Friedhelm. | James Joyce. Rowohlt 2004. | Amazon |
| Reid, B. L. | The Lives of Roger Casement. New Haven (Yale University Press) 1976. | Book |
| Reid, B.L. | The Man from New York: John Quinn and His Friends. New York (Oxford University Press) 1968. | Book |
| Richardson, John Adkins. | William Butler Yeats and James Joyce. New York (Columbia University Press) 1958. | Book |
| Shechner, Mark. | Joyce in Nighttown: A Psychoanalytic Inquiry into Ulysses. Berkeley (University of California Press) 1974. | Book |
| Spencer, Theodore. | James Joyce. Berkeley (University of California Press) 1941. | Book |
| Staley, Thomas F. (Ed.). | An Annotated Critical Bibliography of James Joyce. New York (Harvester Wheatsheaf) 1989. | Book |
| Sullivan, Kevin. | Joyce Among the Jesuits. New York (Columbia University Press) 1958. | Book |
| Tindall, William York. | James Joyce: His Way of Interpreting the Modern World. New York (Scribner's) 1950. | Book |
| Tindall, William York. | A Reader's Guide to James Joyce. New York (Farrar, Straus & Cudahy) 1959. | Book |
| Yoshikawa, Sakyo. | James Joyce's Chamber Music: The Lost Song Settings. Bloomington (Indiana University Press) 1993. | Book |