Dubliners

James Joyce

Oct 2000 · Sold by Modern Library

About this ebook

Introduction by John Banville
 
James Joyce was the singular figure of modernism, and to this day his grand vision looms large over contemporary literature and the entire Western canon. His stylistic innovations were revolutionary, yet nowhere is Joyce more accessible than in this volume of short stories, a brilliant collection that celebrates, critiques, and immortalizes the place that Joyce knew better than anyone else: Dublin. From the young boy encountering death in the opening story, “The Sisters,” to the middle-aged protagonist of its haunting finale, “The Dead,” considered one of the greatest short stories of all time, Dubliners is a vivid portrait of the city in all its glory and hardship, and a seminal work that redefined the short form. Featuring a new Introduction by acclaimed novelist John Banville, this edition is not only a breathless portal into Joyce’s “dear dirty Dublin” but a vital literary treasure from one of the great masters of all time.

Ratings and reviews

15 short stories, the last really being a novella, on the people of Dublin. Joyce wrote the book during the height of Irish nationalism and tried to arrange each story around the idea of an epiphany. The most powerful stories were about the huge man who was going to lose his job, pawned his watch to get drunk and then failed to get drunk, and then beat his son. The other was the woman who was being threatened by her father but still chooses him over the good man who wants to whisk her away to Buenos Aires. Difficult stories that didn't really pick up until at least half way through each one. They really take a certain knowledge of Dublin to truly understand because the content and the places are all heavily based on the real-life city. The novella at the end, The Dead, was very well written but I felt that it used too many characters. Again, it took too long to understand who everyone was and by that time it didn't much matter anymore. I don't appreciate stories that require being read more than once and I felt that many of these were like that. I did enjoy his usage of dashes to start quotations. I thought that was innovative and a good way to show conversation.

About the author

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