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Product Description
Review
Only the second major biography of the author to appear since his death in 1941. (Sunday Business Post 20110618)
A great read for anyone remotely into Joyce (The Catholic Herald 20110618)
This biography is both learned and readable; it is an attractive monument to a brilliant, kind-hearted, often unfortunate man. (Edmund Gordon THE SUNDAY TIMES 20110618)
a scrupulously researched, entertainingly readable biography of a maddeningly protean, contradictory genius. (John Walsh THE INDEPENDENT 20110624)
a sound and readable telling of the writer's tale for newcomers, into whose hands it may be given without a qualm. (LITERARY REVIEW 20110627)
Bowker's biography - packed as it is with incidents, ideas and sympathy - proves inspiring (Richard Davenport-Hines SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 20110703)
This sound, hefty biography is enjoyable and fair... (Peter Lewis DAILY MAIL 20110701)
a readable, reliable biography in a new voice (Iain Finlayson THE TIMES 20110709)
This is an entertainingly readable biography of a genius. (BELFAST TELEGRAPH )
a very accessible and solid biography. (Lesley McDowell THE SCOTSMAN )
The author excels in his wit, clarity and sheer readability as he tackles in full the life of Ireland's greatest writer. (METRO )
Gordon Bowker's new biography of James Joyce draws on new materialto explore in greater depth than ever before the life and legacy of this extraordinary writer. (CHOICE )
informed by many new biographical sources and discoveries... a usefully demystifying version of the life of one of the 20th century's most complicated literary artists. (NEW STATESMAN )
good time for a strong new biography of James Joyce, 70 years after his death and almost 30 since the revised version of Richard Ellmann's classic contribution to the form...Bowker devotes a greater proportion of his book to Joyce's life after Ulysses than Ellmann does, the period of his physical decline, obsession with the mental health of Lucia, and dogged engagement with the night games of what became Finnegans Wake. (Adam Mars-Jones THE OBSERVER )
Reading Bowker on the genesis of Finnegans Wake make me want to read it again. (Tibor Fischer STANDPOINT )
Bowker has already written brilliantly on Malcolm Lowry and George Orwell and this new book extends the record ¿ and not only the record, but the entire epistemology of the Joycean discourse... has restored Joyce to his contradictory, ambivalent humanity... shrewd and highly readable biography. (Thomas McCarthy Irish Examiner )
A wonderfully lively and meticulously researched account of the life and work of a fascinatingly inexplicable paradox.... wonderfully detailed, gripping... (Chris Proctor The Tribune )
This new biography is both learned and readable. It is an admirable monument to a brilliant yet often unfortunate man whose star still shines. (John Hinton Catholic Herald )
Detailed, thoughtful and illuminating, Gordon Bowker's portrait of the inimitable artist is sympathetic, challenging and thoroughly entertaining. (Good Book Guide )
We owe Mr Bowker a debt of gratitude for his considerable courage in undertaking this mammoth task. (Hugh McFadden Books Ireland )
A great read for anyone remotely into Joyce (The Catholic Herald 20110618)
This biography is both learned and readable; it is an attractive monument to a brilliant, kind-hearted, often unfortunate man. (Edmund Gordon THE SUNDAY TIMES 20110618)
a scrupulously researched, entertainingly readable biography of a maddeningly protean, contradictory genius. (John Walsh THE INDEPENDENT 20110624)
a sound and readable telling of the writer's tale for newcomers, into whose hands it may be given without a qualm. (LITERARY REVIEW 20110627)
Bowker's biography - packed as it is with incidents, ideas and sympathy - proves inspiring (Richard Davenport-Hines SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 20110703)
This sound, hefty biography is enjoyable and fair... (Peter Lewis DAILY MAIL 20110701)
a readable, reliable biography in a new voice (Iain Finlayson THE TIMES 20110709)
This is an entertainingly readable biography of a genius. (BELFAST TELEGRAPH )
a very accessible and solid biography. (Lesley McDowell THE SCOTSMAN )
The author excels in his wit, clarity and sheer readability as he tackles in full the life of Ireland's greatest writer. (METRO )
Gordon Bowker's new biography of James Joyce draws on new materialto explore in greater depth than ever before the life and legacy of this extraordinary writer. (CHOICE )
informed by many new biographical sources and discoveries... a usefully demystifying version of the life of one of the 20th century's most complicated literary artists. (NEW STATESMAN )
good time for a strong new biography of James Joyce, 70 years after his death and almost 30 since the revised version of Richard Ellmann's classic contribution to the form...Bowker devotes a greater proportion of his book to Joyce's life after Ulysses than Ellmann does, the period of his physical decline, obsession with the mental health of Lucia, and dogged engagement with the night games of what became Finnegans Wake. (Adam Mars-Jones THE OBSERVER )
Reading Bowker on the genesis of Finnegans Wake make me want to read it again. (Tibor Fischer STANDPOINT )
Bowker has already written brilliantly on Malcolm Lowry and George Orwell and this new book extends the record ¿ and not only the record, but the entire epistemology of the Joycean discourse... has restored Joyce to his contradictory, ambivalent humanity... shrewd and highly readable biography. (Thomas McCarthy Irish Examiner )
A wonderfully lively and meticulously researched account of the life and work of a fascinatingly inexplicable paradox.... wonderfully detailed, gripping... (Chris Proctor The Tribune )
This new biography is both learned and readable. It is an admirable monument to a brilliant yet often unfortunate man whose star still shines. (John Hinton Catholic Herald )
Detailed, thoughtful and illuminating, Gordon Bowker's portrait of the inimitable artist is sympathetic, challenging and thoroughly entertaining. (Good Book Guide )
We owe Mr Bowker a debt of gratitude for his considerable courage in undertaking this mammoth task. (Hugh McFadden Books Ireland )
Book Description
Long-awaited and comprehensive biography of the great Irish author James Joyce, who died 70 years ago (20110617)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
'Ephiphanies' - the short fictionalised opening to this biography, positions the reader within Joyce's experience from youth to late adult life. This brave departure from accepted methods of introduction by Gordon Bowker - immediately and compelingly invites the reader to engage with both the life and the work of his subject.
This biography is both scholarly and readable. Gordon Bowker is acknowledged to be a reliable and meticulous reseacher as his previous works on George Orwell, Laurence Durrell and Malcolm Lowry have proved. In each case he discovered new information about his subject and this is equally true of Joyce.
Joyce lives and breathes in this text as Bowker has adopted a style that allows Joyce to articulate the autobiographical elements as they appear in his work; thus the Joycean voice speaks throughout. This necessitates a shift between Joyce's life and his work; plus the commentator's voice (Bowker's) and Joyce's own mediated through his ficion. Bowker has acheived all this superbly without sacrificing fluency.
This biography capapults Joyce and his work into the 21st century. Readers of Joyce will be drawn back to his writings and the uninitiated will be able to approach Dubliners; Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Ulysses and even Finnigans Wake with confidence.
This biography is both scholarly and readable. Gordon Bowker is acknowledged to be a reliable and meticulous reseacher as his previous works on George Orwell, Laurence Durrell and Malcolm Lowry have proved. In each case he discovered new information about his subject and this is equally true of Joyce.
Joyce lives and breathes in this text as Bowker has adopted a style that allows Joyce to articulate the autobiographical elements as they appear in his work; thus the Joycean voice speaks throughout. This necessitates a shift between Joyce's life and his work; plus the commentator's voice (Bowker's) and Joyce's own mediated through his ficion. Bowker has acheived all this superbly without sacrificing fluency.
This biography capapults Joyce and his work into the 21st century. Readers of Joyce will be drawn back to his writings and the uninitiated will be able to approach Dubliners; Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; Ulysses and even Finnigans Wake with confidence.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
compared to the several other works on this subject, this biography is best at showing the increasing tension in the joyce experience just as Finnegans Wake was being written, Ulysses was coming out in the US, Lucia was going insane and his money supply was becoming more uncertain. this biography is also best at showing how much of an idiot joyce was in commonsense matters and an egomaniac in his personal life. this biography down plays the Oedipal Complex aspect of lucia's illness. it is, compared to Ellman's earlier work, more personal.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I love biographies, and this one is marvellouly absorbing and beautifully written. Not a book to skim through - a great life with a sad ending on a canvas of detail. A must read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
On Ellmann's shoulders
From the first pages, Bowker establishes a sound alibi for using devices close to fiction to enhance the dramatic value of his biographical recount, quoting Malamud and... Read more
Published 9 months ago by C.Isaac
sloppy
I have just finished reading the biography.It is obviously lightweight, a 'readable' introduction to Joyce's life and career and should be approached as such. Read more
Published 12 months ago by francis david
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