James Joyce A New Biography

A revealing biography of one of the twentieth century's towering literary figures James Joyce is one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, foundational in the history of literary modernism. Yet Joyce's genius was not immediately recognized, nor was his success easily won. At twenty-two he chose a life of exi≤ he battled poverty and financial dependency for much of his adult life; his out-of-wedlock relationship with Nora Barnacle was scandalous for the time; and the attitudes he held toward Ireland, England, sexuality, politics, Catholicism, popular cultureto name a fewwere complex, contradictory, and controversial. In James Joyce, Gordon Bowker, drawing on material recently come to light, binds together more intimately than has ever been attempted the life and work of this singular artist. In doing so, he gives us a masterful, fresh, eminently readable contribution to our understanding both of Joyce's personality and of the monumental opus he created. Bowker goes further than his predecessors in exploring Joyce's inner depthshis ambivalent relationships to England, to his native Ireland, and to Judaismuncovering revealing evidence. He draws convincing correspondences between the iconic fictional characters Joyce created and their real-life models and inspirations. And he paints a nuanced portrait of a man of enormous complexity, the clearest picture yet of an extraordinary writer who continues to influence and fascinate more than a century after his birth.

Gordon Bowker has written highly acclaimed biographies of Malcolm Lowry (Pursued by Furies, a New York Times Recommended Book of the Year), George Orwell, and Lawrence Durrell, and articles and reviews for The Observer, The Sunday Times, The Independent, The New York Times, and The Times Literary Supplement. He lives in Notting Hill, London.