Secret Sorrow – Knut Hamsun

Secret Sorrow – Knut Hamsun

Knut Hamsun (1859–1952) was a major Norwegian writer, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun’s work spans more than seventy years and shows variation with regard to the subject, perspective and environment. He published more than twenty novels, a collection of poetry, some short stories and plays, a travelogue, and some […]

A short story about killing

A short story about killing

I decided to kill. Perhaps it is better say I have always known that. When I was a little boy I always wanted to kill my teacher of music. I wanted that not because I hated her or because I had a bad mark from that subject, on the contrary, I loved her and I […]

Isaac Asimov’s Guide to the Bible

Isaac Asimov’s Guide to the Bible

A Witty, Erudite Atheist’s Guide to the World’s Most Famous Book Everyone should read the Bible, and—I’d argue—should read it with a sharply critical eye and the guidance of reputable critics and historians, though this may be too much to ask for those steeped in literal belief. Yet fewer and fewer people do read it, […]

Henri Matisse Illustrates James Joyce’s Ulysses

Henri Matisse Illustrates James Joyce’s Ulysses

Last year, fans of modernist Irish literature and impressionist art saw a must-own volume go under the hammer at Bonhams. “In 1935 the French artist, Henri Matisse, was commissioned to illustrate an edition of Ulysses for subscribers to the Limited Edition Club in America,” announced Artlyst. “Each of the 1,000 copies was signed by Matisse and 250 were also […]

An introduction to Ulysses

An introduction to Ulysses

Since its publication in 1922, readers have been daunted, dazzled and puzzled by Ulysses. Katherine Mullin introduces James Joyce’s novel, exploring both its commitment to modernist experimentation and to the portrayal of everyday life.  Reputation and reception James Joyce‘s Ulysses (1922) may be more talked about than read. It occupies an intimidating position within the […]

Carl Jung Writes a Review of Joyce’s Ulysses and Mails It To The Author (1932)

Carl Jung Writes a Review of Joyce’s Ulysses and Mails It To The Author (1932)

Feelings about James Joyce’s Ulysses tend to fall roughly into one of two camps: the religiously reverent or the exasperated/bored/overwhelmed. As popular examples of the former, we have the many thousand celebrants of Bloomsday—June 16th, the date on which the novel is set in 1904. These revelries approach the level of saints’ days, with re-enactments […]

“A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man” – James Joyce

“A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man” – James Joyce

The modernist classic, perhaps the greatest English-language Bildungsroman, turns 100 on December 29, 2016. To celebrate, we look at what makes the novel so special: its fierce defense of individualism and critical thought, and its unique portrayal of the artistic mind. Of the characteristics likely to be associated with James Joyce’s writing, two—his inventiveness of […]

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