My favorite book of all time.

Masterfully brings to life an entire people. An extremely grim and negative side of these people to be sure, but nonetheless accurate and unapologetically honest. Given the context of the times (The aftermath of the potato famine, the political turmoil that dominated daily Irish live throughout much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to say nothing of today) it is hardly surprising.

One failing I can see for Dubliners is that it's inextricably linked to the time it was written. Much as I love reading about Irish society and cultural heritage, I remember dropping it often to go read another Celtic myth. (Which probably says something about the power of mythology to transcend society and era but it might just be that I prefer reading tales of bloody heroes and gods and monsters and then somehow applying that to a modern context. I digress.)

Like the band* that chose their name as a tribute to the man's work was Joyce's ability to show the strength and resoluteness of the people who live in such a bleakly depressing city.

I first started to read The Dubliners sometime in college, over the course of a winter. I think that's a perfect time to read it, or perhaps the fall. The atmosphere is perfect, especially if you live in a city.





*The Dubliners

Upon all the living and the dead: Joyce’s masterly prose, where not a word is wasted and even the most tiny and economical chapters can conjure distant shores. Whether your favourite is the self-absorbed Gabriel, swooning “faintly through the universe and faintly falling,” as he pictures his imagined love rival’s grave, or lovelorn Frank, the handsome merchant seaman, abandoned by his callous love as he slips moorings from the quay, or the seedy CP enthusiast the boys meet up Ringsend way while on a day’s miching, it’s a complete and miniscule universe in a softback 200 pages. The importance of words in a single treatise. Almost perfection.

I’m not always huge on short stories but I really got into these. I think they’re so interesting and important as depictions of the early 1900s Dublin middle class and there’s so much to learn about the culture and society, for example, the importance of music. I felt so connected to my roots (even though my family aren’t from Dublin, but I think it’s just the portrait of Ireland generally that resonates). I have to also say I listened to the audiobook in the car on my commute to work which was read by Andrew Scott and wow…just wow!!

Eveline is my favorite of the short stories

You dig what you dig, and I certainly didn't care for this that much.

Yes, there were plenty of good lines in it, and characters that I liked. But there weren't any definite endings. That is my opinion of it. I know short story only show a bit of characters and that's it, but these barely touched on what could be really fascinating stories.

The stories just felt drab to me and I left felling very unfulfilled.

But like I said in the beginning, to each their own. I may not have cared for it, but plenty of people do. Maybe they can clarify why it is a "classic."