A rich treasury charting james joyces ulysses fresh air june 26, 2014 there are many heroes in kevin birminghams new book about the novel that sparked a revolution. Literary historian kevin birmingham follows joyces years as a young writer, his feverish work on his literary masterpiece, and his ardent love affair with nora barnacle. The most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The most dangerous book in world ulysses image collections book. The most dangerous book by kevin birmingham examines the history of james joyces masterwork, ulysses. The battle for james joyces ulysses by kevin birmingham is the book about the book. In his sharp, wellwritten debut, birmingham history and literatureharvard univ. Jun 11, 2014 the most dangerous book is, in fact, mainly about obscenity. The battle for james joyces ulysses, birmingham sets joyces novel in the context of his life and times especially the times relevant to the cultural movement now known as modernism a context which in significant part consists of the book. A rich treasury charting james joyces ulysses fresh air june 26, 2014 there are many heroes in kevin birminghams new book about the novel that sparked a. Literary historian kevin birmingham follows joyces years as a young writer, his feverish work on his literary masterpiece, and his ardent love affair with nora. Read more read less click to open popover customers who bought this item also bought these digital items.
Jun 12, 2014 the most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses, from the first stirrings of joyces inspiration in 1904 to its landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. A rich treasury charting james joyces ulysses there are many heroes in kevin birminghams new book about the novel that sparked a revolution, but james joyce isnt one of. The most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses, from the first stirrings of joyces inspiration in 1904 to the book s landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. The most dangerous book audiobook by kevin birmingham. Birminghams new book is about, this pithy description could not be called inaccurate. The battle for james joyces ulysses there are a few people who must love it, since it consistently ranks high on 100 best lists for fiction, from modern library s to the new york times, but i dont think ive actually met anyone whos raved about it, let alone liked it that much. This is a deeply fun work of scholarship that rescues ulysses from the superlatives and academic battles that shroud its fundamental unruliness and humanity.
The most dangerous book by kevin birmingham the boston. For more than a decade, the book that literary critics now consider the most important novel in the english language was illegal to own, sell, advertise or purchase in most of the englishspeaking world. The most dangerous book is riveting narrative nonfiction, populated with enough real largerthanlife characters and twists to make a fiction writer envious. Kevin birmingham has a deep love of the novel, and knows everything about joyce. The battle for james joyces ulysses, deserves to be on any aspiring bloomophiles shortlist of accompaniments. The battle for james joyces ulysses, birmingham sets joyces novel in the context of his life and timesespecially the times relevant. The most dangerous book book tulsa citycounty library. A rich treasury charting james joyces ulysses there are many heroes in kevin birminghams new book about the novel that sparked a revolution, but james joyce. The most dangerous book, about joyces ulysses the new. The most dangerous book, about joyces ulysses the new york. The most dangerous book tells the painful yet exhilarating story of how joyces ulysses was conceived, written, published, burned, acclaimed and excoriated before taking its place as a masterpiece of world literature. Louis menand, pulitzer prizewinning author of the metaphysical club for more than a. The battle for james joyces ulysses, those dublin revelations from years ago kept returning to my mind because part of birminghams aim is to.
Ulysses is a modernist novel by irish writer james joyce. The most dangerous book by kevin birmingham the boston globe. According to birmingham himself there are around 300 books. Kevin birmingham tells that extraordinary story in his new book about ulysses, called the most dangerous book. Written for ardent joyceans as well as novices who want to get to the heart of the greatest novel of the twentieth century, the most dangerous book is a gripping examination of how the world came to say yes to ulysses.
Through kevin birminghams masterful voice and impeccable research, this story of a singular book that changed the world proves in dramatic fashion that the history of literature is not. The battle for james joyces ulysses, a rich, detailed, mostly wise account of how the novel. Curran, getty images on june 16, 1904, the young james joyce first. For more than a decade, the book that literary critics now. Modernisms battle against an obsolete civilization, encapsulated in the struggle to publish one tabooshattering masterpiece. The battle for james joyces ulysses, those dublin revelations from years ago kept returning to my mind because part of birminghams aim is to show how scholars have examined the novels dense network of allusions, its museum of styles and its insight into the human mind so.
Jun 20, 2014 the most dangerous book by kevin birmingham examines the history of james joyces masterwork, ulysses. Birmingham approaches ulysses as the work that subverted literary censorship and broke the crusading spirit of the u. The most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses, from the first stirrings of joyces inspiration in 1904 to its landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. The most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses, from the first stirrings of james joyces inspiration in 1904 to its landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. The new book called the most dangerous book by kevin birmingham is about james joyces 1922 novel ulysses and the censorship battles that surrounded its publication. Jan, 2016 on the most difficult novels list on goodreads, joyce takes the top two spots, with ulysses in top position and finnegans wake plodding behind for second place. The most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses, from the first stirrings of joyces inspiration in 1904 to its landmark federal obscenity. That, judge, said the lawyer, is the essence of ulysses. That trial serves as the culmination of kevin birminghams astute and gorgeously written the most dangerous book. The most dangerous book by kevin birmingham overdrive. Jun 29, 2014 the most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses, from the first stirrings of joyces inspiration in 1904 to its landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. It will blow a hole in the wellguarded prison of english literature. An account of the dramatic writing of and fight to publish james joyces ulysses reveals how the nowclassic book was the subject of a landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933 that.
The battle for james joyces ulysses, kevin birmingham details the history of the infamous book s publication, recalling a nowquaintseeming time when. As i read kevin birminghams the most dangerous book. Before reading kevin birminghams the most dangerous book. The most dangerous book by kevin birmingham kirkus. Aug 24, 2014 i thought of this line often while reading kevin birminghams the most dangerous book. Like most of irelands writers, yeats was living elsewhere, but he returned to ireland to stage a play just as joyce was graduating from the royal university in 1902. The most dangerous book is an elegant combination of criticism, history, and biography relating how ulysses that was the case, however, and kevin birminghams book on how ulysses overcame that to be declared legally fit to publish is terribly interesting, a terribly fascinating story well told. The battle for james joyces ulysses, by kevin birmingham. The most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses, from the first stirrings of joyces inspiration in 1904 to the books landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. James joyces big blue book, ulysses, ushered in the modernist era and changed the novel for all time.
Theres not much i can add beside saying that you do not have to be a james joyce devotee or a lover of ulysses to enjoy birminghams book. The battle for james joyces ulysses by birmingham, kevin isbn. Literary historian kevin birmingham follows joyce s years as a young writer, his feverish work on his literary masterpiece, and his ardent love affair with nora. The battle for james joyces ulysses, an account of the tortuous path joyces. The most dangerous book tells the painful, heartbreaking, exhilirating story of how joyces novel was conceived, written, published, burned, acclaimed and excoriated before taking its place as a masterpiece of world literature.
Jun 11, 2014 the most dangerous book tells the remarkable story surrounding ulysses, from the first stirrings of joyces inspiration in 1904 to its landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. Too obscene to print kevin birmingham tells the story of those for and against a notorious novel. As the world went to war james joyce plotted his own revolution. The most dangerous book tells the painful yet exhilarating story of how joyces ulysses was conceived, written, published, burned, acclaimed and excoriated before taking its place as a. Besides adopting the novels comic approach, birmingham deftly imports joyces idea of ulysses as the epic of the human body into the most dangerous book. After russell arranged a meeting, the two writers sat in the smoking room of a restaurant on oconnell street, dublins main thoroughfare.
The most dangerous book is an elegant combination of criticism, history, and biography relating how ulysses that was the case, however, and kevin birminghams book on how ulysses overcame that to. The most dangerous book the battle for james joyces ulysses book. A great storyhow modernism brought down the regime of censorshiptold as a great story. This is a deeply fun work of scholarship that rescues ulysses. Curran, getty images on june 16, 1904, the young james joyce first spent time with.
Jun 20, 2014 for more than a decade, the book that literary critics now consider the most important novel in the english language was illegal to own, sell, advertise or purchase in most of the englishspeaking world. Kevin birminghams new history, the most dangerous book. Through kevin birminghams masterful voice and impeccable research, this story of a singular book. Jun 15, 2014 that trial serves as the culmination of kevin birminghams astute and gorgeously written the most dangerous book. The most dangerous book when ulysses was obscene salon. A stirring new book describes how publishers defied censors to bring james. Is james joyces ulysses the hardest novel to finish. Joyce, ulysses and obscenity viewed in pageturner style. The battle for james joyces ulysses, birmingham sets joyces novel in the context of his life and times especially the times relevant to the cultural movement now known as modernism a context which in significant part consists of the books tortured publishing history and the legal challenges it faced. The battle for james joyces ulysses 1st edition by kevin birmingham isbn. It wasnt until december 1933 when a new york judge ruled ulysses wasnt obscene that the book began to circulate in a normal way. The battle for james joyces ulysses, an account of the tortuous path.