James Joyce and his life in continental Europe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Joyce (1882-1941)            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nora Barnacle (1884-1951)

 

James and Nora lived in Trieste on two occasions

** The first round was quite long:

1904-1915

** The second round was quite short:

1919-1920

 

The long stay in Trieste was interrupted four times:

 

# 1. James, Nora, and the son Giorgio lived in Rome for eight months, from July 1906 to March 1907.

During this time, James worked in a local bank. This was not a dream job for him, but he took it to support himself and his family.

# 2. In July 1909, James returned to Ireland to present his son Giorgio to his family

# 3. In October 1909, James returned to Ireland to open the first Irish cinema. He returned to Trieste in January 1910

# 4. From July to September 1912, James was in Ireland. This was his last visit to his native country

 

Part one

Trieste 1904-1915

What was life like for James and his family during the long stay in Trieste when this city was a part of the Austrian Empire?

Some experiences were positive, while other experiences were not so positive.

 

The positive experiences

James had a job. He was an English teacher at a Berlitz language school.

He had a salary to support himself and his family

He also found time to write which was very important for him. During the long stay in Trieste, he was quite productive.

James and Nora had a life together. 

They had two children:

 

** Giorgio (1905-1976)

** Lucia (1907-1982)

 

His brother Stanislaus (known as Stani) joined them in Trieste

Stani was born in 1884. He stayed in Trieste for many years. He died in Florence (Firenze) in 1955

Stani also worked as a teacher at the Berlitz language school in Trieste

Stani used his salary to support not only himself but also his brother's family

 

James had six sisters. 

Two of them joined the family in Trieste:

 

** Eva May Joyce (1891-1957) arrived in 1909, but she did not stay long

** Eileen Isabel Joyce (1889-1963) arrived in 1910 and she stayed for several years

 

James and Nora had friends in the local community

 

From 1914, James began to receive money from an anonymous donor. 

An English woman had decided to support the work of the Irish writer. The name of the anonymous donor was Harriet Shaw Weaver (1876-1961). 

Her name was not revealed until 1919. She supported James until the end of his life.

 

Not so positive experiences

James and Nora were not always happy together

James and his brother Stani were close, but they did not always agree about everything

James was almost always short of funds. He had a salary, but it was not enough. His brother helped him, but even this was not always enough. He received money from the anonymous donor, but even with this support, he was often in trouble.

 

James had time to write. And he was productive, but he had trouble when he wanted to publish his manuscripts

 

The essays in the collection named Dubliners were written over three years (1904-1907), but it was difficult to find a publisher and a printer who were prepared to accept his work.

 

The collection named Dubliners was finally published in 1914. It was praised by the critics, but it was not exactly a bestseller.

 

James had worked on this collection for three years and he had struggled for several years to find a publisher and a printer. He had put a lot of effort into this product, but he made almost no money out of it.

 

As a professional writer, he was happy to see the positive reviews, but he also needed to sell his books in order to support himself and his family.

 

The family often had to move from place to place, because they could not afford to pay the rent.

 

When they were evicted from one place, they had start over in a new place. This happened more than once during the long stay in Trieste.

 

Part two

Trieste 1919-1920

During World War One, James and his family had to escape from Trieste, because he was a British citizen and thus an enemy alien.

The family found a sanctuary in Switzerland. They stayed there until the war was over.

During the first round, before the war, Trieste was a part of the Austrian Empire. After the war, Trieste was a part of Italy.

When James and his family returned to Trieste, they found the place was not the same as it had been before.

They did not like the new Italian administration. They did not feel at home anymore. They decided that they had to find a new place to live.

 

Part three

France 1920-1940

In 1920, they moved to Paris, the capital of France, where they stayed for twenty years.

In 1922, the novel Ulysses was published

In 1928, the Irish writer Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) came to Paris where he met James. They became good friends.

Samuel helped James who was working on a new novel named Finnegans Wake. 

Samuel returned to Ireland in 1930.

 

In 1931, James married Nora who had been his partner in life since 1904. He married her, because he wanted to make sure that Nora and their two children could inherit his estate.

 

In 1937, Samuel Beckett came to Paris again. 

In 1938, Samuel Beckett had a horrible accident: he was stabbed and nearly died. James Joyce visited him in the hospital.

In 1939, the novel Finnegans Wake was published.

 

Part four

Switzerland 1940-1941

In 1940, James Joyce and his family had to leave Paris and France, because Nazi Germany had defeated the French army and taken control of Paris.

Once again, James and his family found a sanctuary in Switzerland.

When they arrived in Zürich, James suffered from poor health. He had serious problems with his eyes.

He died in Zurich in 1941.

 

REFERENCES

 

The World of James Joyce: His Life and Work

This documentary film premiered in 1982

Run time = 115 minutes

This film is available on YouTube

 

James Joyce: A Shout in the Street

This documentary film premiered in 2017

Run time = 58 minutes

 

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James Joyce and his family

This photo was taken in 1924

when they lived in Paris

Standing left = James

Standing right = Giorgio

Sitting left = Nora

Sitting right = Lucia

 

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James Joyce and Ulysses (1922)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Irish writer James Joyce worked on his novel Ulysses for seven years: from 1914 to 1921. The novel was first published in 1922. More precisely on 02 February of that year.

 

This date was (by chance) the 40th birthday of the author. The book is quite long. It has 742 pages. The publication history of this novel is long and complicated.

 

Before the complete novel was published in 1922, several chapters had been published in a magazine (1918–1920).

 

The complete novel was published in the French capital Paris. The publisher was an American bookseller who had opened a bookshop in Paris. The name of the American bookseller is Sylvia Beach (1887–1962). 

 

She met James Joyce while he was still working on his novel. They became friends. When she heard that he had trouble finding a publisher who was prepared to publish his novel, she asked him:

 

“Do you want me to publish it for you?”

 

When he said yes, the bookseller became a publisher as well.

 

What about other countries? When was Ulysses published in the UK or in the US?

 

Publication was delayed in the UK and the US, because some parts of the novel were regarded as obscene and thus a violation of existing laws.

 

In 1933, a judge in the US issued a verdict which said this novel was not illegal and it could be published.

 

In 1934, Ulysses was published by Random House in the US. Two years later, in 1936, Ulysses was published by Bodley Head in the UK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ulysses: The 1922 Text with Essays and Notes 

Edited by Katherine Flynn

This edition was published in 2022 to mark the 100-year anniversary of the publication of the novel in 1922.

 

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Who supported James Joyce when he needed help? Several names can be mentioned, but perhaps it is fair to focus on two women who offered significant assistance when the Irish writer needed help.

 

One woman has already been mentioned: Sylvia Beach saved him when he was unable to find a publisher who was prepared to publish his novel.

 

The other woman is the English political activist Harriet Shaw Weaver (1876-1961). She was a suffragette, but she also had a deep interest in modern literature.

 

She decided to offer economic support for the Irish writer who was struggling to support himself and his family. She became a significant patron of James Joyce. She sent regular payments to help him.

 

Her financial support began in 1914 and it continued until the end of his life in 1941. Her financial support continued even after his death when she paid for his funeral and offered help to his widow Nora Barnacle and their two children Giorgio and Lucia.

 

In the beginning, she was an anonymous patron. She hired a lawyer to transfer the money to James Joyce in order to remain anonymous. 

 

For several years, he did not know who offered this generous support. The name of the patron was not revealed until 1919.

 

When Ulysses was published in 1922, James Joyce began to work on a new novel. He worked on this project for more than fifteen years: from 1922 to 1938. 

 

His next novel Finnegans Wake was published in 1939.

 

During the 1930s, while he was working on this project, he sent selected passages to friends, including Harriet Shaw Weaver.

 

When she saw and read these passages, she was not happy. She told James that his work was not easy to understand. The relationship between them was strained, because she did not like what he was writing, but in spite of this fact she continued to offer financial support.

 

In 1939, when Finnegans Wake was published, even some of his friends were shocked and surprised when they saw it. They did not like it. They felt he had lost the way.

 

Many observers say that Finnegans Wake can only be read and perhaps understood if you have a companion volume which can explain the details of the book and the meaning of the words chosen by James Joyce.

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. There is a book about the life of the American woman Sylvia Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Paris Bookseller

By Kerri Maher

(2022)

 

# 2. There is a book about the life of the English woman Harriet Shaw Weaver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Miss Weaver: 

Harriet Shaw Weaver, 1876–1961

By Jane Lidderdale and Mary Nicholson

(1971)

 

# 3. There is a book about the life of James Joyce with special focus on the time when he was working on Ulysses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serial Encounters:

Ulysses and The Little Review

By Clare Hutton

(2019 = hardcover)

(2022 = paperback)

 

# 4. There is a book about the legal problems which the novel Ulysses was up against in the US 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Most Dangerous Book: 

The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses 

By Kevin Birmingham 

(2014 = hardcover)

(2015 = paperback)

 

# 5. The following items are available online

 

Susan G. Hauser,

“Finnegans Wake Breakdown,”

Salon

16 March 2001

 

Clare Hutton,

“Women and the Making of James Joyce's Ulysses,”

Ransom Center Magazine,

University of Texas

16 December 2021

 

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