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. Amazon
Benstock, Bernard. James Joyce. New York (Unger) 1985. Amazon
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