James Joyce and his family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How many children did James Joyce have?

He had two children:

 

** A son Giorgio (1905-1976)

** A daughter Lucia (1907-1982)

 

Did he love them? As far as a I know, he loved both his children and tried to take good care of them

 

He was happy when Giorgio was born in 1905

 

He was happy when Lucia was born in 1907

 

In 1906, when James found a job in Rome, he did not go alone. The whole family - his partner in life Nora and his son Giorgio - travelled with him to Rome. They lived in Rome for eight months, from July 1906 to March 1907.

 

In 1909, when Giorgio was four years old, James travelled to Ireland with Giorgio to present his son to his family.

 

In 1930, it became clear that the daughter Lucia had some mental problems. When some friends noticed this fact and suggested that she should be placed in an institution, he refused to do so. He wanted her to remain in the family as long as possible.

 

When her mental problems became more serious, James finally accepted that Lucia should be placed in an institution. 

 

While she was living in an institution, James tried to visit her as often as possible. He wanted to maintain contact with her. He did not want to get rid of her.

 

 

This photograph of James and his family was taken in 1924, when the family lived in Paris.

 

** Standing on the left = James Joyce

** Standing on the right = Giorgio

** Sitting on the left = Nora Barnacle

** Sitting on the right = Lucia

 

Lucia was not married. She did not have any children. Giorgio was married and he had a son who was born in 1932. The son was named Stephen James Joyce.

 

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

 

In 1931, when James's father died, James was very sad. In the following year he was happy to welcome a grandchild into the family.

 

In 1938, when the German-born photographer Gisèle Freund was visiting the family in Paris, Joyce wanted her to take a special photograph. What was the motive?

 

 

James is sitting in a chair, while Giorgio is sitting in another chair with his son. On the wall between the two chairs there is a painting of James's father.

 

This photograph shows four generations in the same frame. Three persons are alive, while the fourth person is represented by a painting. This episode shows that James cared about his family:

 

** The father who came before him

** The son and the grandson who came after him

 

In 1940, when France was invaded and defeated by Nazi Germany, James knew he had to get out of there as fast as possible.

 

Since Lucia was living in an institution, it was not possible to get her out. But when he left France, he did not go alone. He escaped to Switzerland with his wife Nora, his son Giorgio and his grandson Stephen James Joyce.

 

These episodes show that the children Giorgio and Lucia were not an annoying distraction to him. He was a famous writer, but he did not ignore his children or regard them as a nuisance. He loved them and tried to take care of them as much as possible.

 

As a writer, James Joyce was a rebel. He wanted to explore new types of literature. But as private person, he was quite conventional. He had a wife and two children.

 

REFERENCES

 

The World of James Joyce: His Life and Work

A documentary film

Run time = 115 minutes 

(1982)

 

James Joyce A to Z: 

The Essential Reference to the Life and Work 

by A. Nicholas Fargnoli and Michael P. Gillespie

(1995 = hardcover) 

(1996 = paperback)

  

*****