The 2nd of February 2022 marks one hundred years since the publication of the modernist masterpiece Ulysses by James Joyce. Building on successful global Bloomsday initiatives in 2020 and 2021, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Ireland’s global diplomatic network will mark the centenary of Joyce’s ground-breaking work throughout 2022 with a extensive programme of events worldwide.
“As this ground-breaking masterpiece is celebrated worldwide, our network of Embassies and Consulates are proud to partner with leading cultural institutions on a rich global programme, ranging from exhibitions and publications to commissioned artworks, performances and readings.” Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said.
Some of the events taking place reflect the connections the book has created with other countries. This year Ireland and France jointly celebrate the centenary of the publication of Ulysses in Paris as a pivotal moment in Irish, French and European modernism; the Centre Culturel Irlandais is presenting a five-month centenary season, alongside special initiatives by the Irish Embassy in Paris.
In the novel, Leopold Bloom’s father hails from the Hungarian city of Szombathely, which will host a three-day Joyce festival, including the commissioning of mural art in partnership with Project Arts Centre. The Irish Embassy in Budapest is also partnering with the Hungarian James Joyce Society on a year-long programme.
Ulysses was first published in Paris on Joyce’s 40th birthday, 2 February 1922. The book follows the events of one single day in Dublin (the 16th of June 1904) and what happens to the characters Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and his wife Molly. Ulysses captures the atmosphere and the structures of 1904 Dublin in such astonishing and meticulous detail that Joyce once said that if Dublin were to be destroyed, Ulysses could be used to rebuild it brick by brick.