Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Happy Bloomsday!

Bloomsday is celebrated each year on June 16th in honor of James Joyce and his novel Ulysses.

The name comes from Ulysses’ central character, Leopold Bloom, though the date actually commemorates the very first romantic date shared by Joyce and his future wife, Nora Barnacle. The year was 1904 and the couple walked to the Dublin village of Ringsend. Though the relationship would be fraught with ups and downs, in 2004 Sotheby’s sold an erotic letter from the writer to his lady for £240,800.

Bloomsday is most enthusiastically celebrated in Dublin, however Joyce aficionados can find Bloomsday activities around the world.

In Dublin, start at the James Joyce Centre at 35 North Great Georges Street, the hub of all things Joycean. Among other things, the Centre’s Web site rounds up Bloomsday activities from Paris to Poland and from Broadway to Brazil. Look for walking and talking events, rallies and even entire literary festivals dedicated to the life and works of this most celebrated Irish writer.

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