Publisher Description

Richard Ellmann has revised and expanded his definitive work on Joyce's life to include newly discovered primary material, including details of a failed love affair, a limerick about Samuel Beckett, a dream notebook, previously unknown letters, and much more.

Author Biography

The late Richard Ellman was Goldsmiths' Professor of English at Oxford University. He was the author of many books, including a distinguished biography of Oscar Wilde, published posthumously.

Review

"The genius of Ellmann's James Joyce is its abundance of detail--its wealth of anecdotes and letters, recovered conversations, and poems. It's a pleasure to salute this masterly book as it marches past again."--Newsweek"Indispensable, both as a text in classes on Joyce and as a model of literary scholarship."--Richard Stack, State University of New York, Purchase"The genius of Ellmann's James Joyce is its abundance of detail--its wealth of anecdotes and letters, recovered conversations, and poems. It's a pleasure to salute this masterly book as it marches past again."--Newsweek"An exceptional achievement....An indispensable book for Joyce scholars and Joyce-lovers....Fascinating."--The Nation"Ellmann produced a work whose brilliance and sheer readability set a new standard for literary biography. Updating the volume, he has taken advantage of two decades of research and discovery, incorporating new material gleaned largely from private as well as university and national collections, so that virtually every page...contains new information....In reading over these pages, one cannot help but feel renewed admiration for Ellmann and his magnificentachievement."--Booklist"Revised, expanded and wonderful."--The New York TimesPraise for the first edition:"The best literary biography of our time."--Robert Martin Adams, Hudson Review"Perhaps the exemplary literary biography--I can't imagine teaching a Joyce seminar without it."--Joseph Witok, Stetson University"A work of genius."--Elio Zappulla, Dowling College

Kirkus UK Review

First published in 1959, then extensively revised for the 1982 edition, this remains one of the great models of 20th-century biography. The late Richard Ellmann combines enormous erudition with a clarity of style. His greatest success is in creating sympathetically a seamless whole between the man and his work, and in making Joyce live three-dimensionally on the page in all his infuriating genius. A remarkable book which set a new standard of humane scholarship, assembling vast quantities of material with great elegance and building up a moving recreation of a complex character. (Kirkus UK)

Prizes

Winner of Winner of the James Tait Black and the Duff Cooper Memorial Prizes.

Long Description

Richard Ellmann has revised and expanded his definitive work on Joyce's life to include newly discovered primary material, including details of a failed love affair, a limerick about Samuel Beckett, a dream notebook, previously unknown letters, and much more.

Review Text

"The genius of Ellmann's James Joyce is its abundance of detail--its wealth of anecdotes and letters, recovered conversations, and poems. It's a pleasure to salute this masterly book as it marches past again."--Newsweek
"Indispensable, both as a text in classes on Joyce and as a model of literary scholarship."--Richard Stack, State University of New York, Purchase
"The genius of Ellmann's James Joyce is its abundance of detail--its wealth of anecdotes and letters, recovered conversations, and poems. It's a pleasure to salute this masterly book as it marches past again."--Newsweek
"An exceptional achievement....An indispensable book for Joyce scholars and Joyce-lovers....Fascinating."--The Nation
"Ellmann produced a work whose brilliance and sheer readability set a new standard for literary biography. Updating the volume, he has taken advantage of two decades of research and discovery, incorporating new material gleaned largely from private as well as university and national collections, so that virtually every page...contains new information....In reading over these pages, one cannot help but feel renewed admiration for Ellmann and his magnificent
achievement."--Booklist
"Revised, expanded and wonderful."--The New York Times
Praise for the first edition:
"The best literary biography of our time."--Robert Martin Adams, Hudson Review
"Perhaps the exemplary literary biography--I can't imagine teaching a Joyce seminar without it."--Joseph Witok, Stetson University
"A work of genius."--Elio Zappulla, Dowling College

Review Quote

"The genius of Ellmann'sJames Joyceis its abundance of detail--its wealth of anecdotes and letters, recovered conversations, and poems. It's a pleasure to salute this masterly book as it marches past again."--Newsweek

Details