A journey to bring Ulysses to the masses

HERE’S a tale of two cities, and two men, and how the more things change, the more often they stay the same.

On January 1 next the European copyright on James Joyce’s published works expires. The expiration brings down the curtain on one of the most jealously guarded literary estates of the last century. On the evening of January 1, a Cork artist is bringing to the stage a much acclaimed interpretation of the Dubliner’s most renowned work, Ulysses, which is based around a day in the capital city. The journey from Joyce’s imagination at the beginning of the last century, to an adaptation of Ulysses in the early decades of the 21st century is a story in itself.

Fortunes have been made from Joyce’s work, particularly Ulysses, the sprawling novel that revolves around a day in the life of Leopold Bloom. Like many before him, Joyce’s genius only rippled out to a wider audience after his death. He spent most of his life in penury, suffering for his art, and, according to some accounts, making others suffer plenty too.