J = JOYCE, JAMES, Author, A-Z Blog Challenge 2016

Then came an Irishman who wrote something entirely different . . .

James Joyce, Author, 1918 - 1941, PD

J = JOYCE, James, Author
Theme = Authors, AtoZ


James Augustine Aloysius Joyce, February 2, 1882 to January 13, 1941, was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential and important authors of the twentieth century. Joyce's Irish experiences constitute an essential element of his writings.

Joyce is best known for Ulysses, in 1922, Dubliners - short stories (1914) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), and Finnegans Wake in 1939. He wrote poetry, a play, occasional journalism and his published letters. Joyce emigrated permanently to Europe in 1904 with his partner and later wife, Nora Barnacle. They lived in Paris, Zurich and Trieste. No matter. He writes about Dublin.

On January 11, 1941, Joyce had surgery in Zurich for a perforated ulcer. He relapsed and fell into a coma, then woke a couple of days after that to ask a nurse to call his wife and son. They were on their way when he died 15 minutes later. Nora, who had married Joyce in 1931, survived him by 10 years and is buried by his side, as is their son who died in 1976. He rests in a prominent 'honor grave' with a seated statue of himself nearby.

The Lost Generation was the generation that came of age during WWI. The term was made popular by Ernest Hemingway, who used it in The Sun Also Rises, but Hemingway credits the phrase to Gertrude Stein, his mentor and patron. Joyce was considered a part of that illustrious group which included Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, Faulkner, Franz Kafka, Henry Miller and others.

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Other Works by Joyce

Dubliners (short stories)

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Ulysses
Published by Sylvia Beach in 1922, from her Paris bookshop, Shakespeare and Company.

Finnegan's Wake
Reaction mixed: negative comments from previous supporters of James Joyce's work  

Joyce's method of 'stream of consciousness', literary allusions and free dream associations was pushed to the limit in Finnegans Wake. What do you think?

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Do you remember either of these works of James Joyce? What do you think of other works by James Joyce?

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A to Z Challenge - 2016

It's April again and time for the 2016 Blogging from A to Z challenge  This is my 4th year participating in the challenge! (Previous A to Z  posts at the top of my blog page tabs are: Art A-Z, French Faves, Paris, Etc. 

Thanks to originator Lee (Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out), and the co-hosts and co-host teams who make the challenge run smoothly. See the list of participants, and other important information at the A to Z Blog site.  The basic idea is to blog every day in April except Sundays (26 days). On April 1st, you begin with the letter A, April 2 is the letter B, and so on. Posts can be random or use a theme.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2016 - Badge

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-z-challenge-sign-up-list-2016.html A to Z Blog List

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Generation Wiki on Lost Generation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce  Wiki on James Joyce


Image of James Joyce at top of post
This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923

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D = DOCTOROW, E L - Author, A-Z Blog Challenge 2016

E. L. Doctorow - American novelist, 20th Century

E.L. Doctorow,, Author, Image Credit*

D = Doctorow, E. L. - Author, Editor, and Professor
Theme = Authors AtoZ

Edgar Lawrence "E. L." Doctorow, (January 6, 1931 - July 21, 2015) was best known internationally for his works of historical fiction. He wrote twelve novels, three volumes of short fiction and a stage drama. They included the award winning novels, Ragtime (1975), Billy Bathgate (1989), and The March (2005). Doctorow won numerous awards, too many to name them all in this post. Refer to the wiki link if you are interested.

A number of Doctorow's novels were adapted to the large screen, but his most notable was for the film, Ragtime in 1981 and the Broadway musical version in 1988. Billy Bathgate followed in 1991 with Dustin Hoffman in the starring role. 

Immense research was required for Doctorow to create stories based on real events and characters. That research was then woven into the fiction. Doctorow told tales of what had happened in certain situations so we would learn and not repeat the errors that had already been made. You need to know a bit about the past to understand the present.

During his writing career, Doctorow spent nine years as a book editor, working with Ian Fleming and Ayn Rand among others. He was known by his own editors to be thorough and particular with his manuscripts. They arrived polished and finished. . .

Doctorow succumbed to an ongoing fight with cancer and died July 21, 2015, aged 84. His legacy of historical fiction will keep his name circulating for years to come. 

From DG:

* * Homer and Langley, a tale about two brothers from a well to do family in New York relates how a disability and an untreated mental condition contributed to their withdrawal from the outside world.. Read my past review of this novel. 

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Have you read any of these novels by Doctorow: Homer and Langley, Ragtime, Billy Bathgate or The March?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for stopping by!

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A to Z Challenge - 2016

It's April again and time for the 2016 Blogging from A to Z challenge  This is my 4th year participating in the challenge! (Previous A to Z  posts at the top of my blog page tabs are: Art A-Z, French Faves, Paris, Etc. 

Thanks to originator Lee (Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out), and the co-hosts and co-host teams who make the challenge run smoothly. See the list of participants, and other important information at the A to Z Blog site.  The basic idea is to blog every day in April except Sundays (26 days). On April 1st, you begin with the letter A, April 2 is the letter B, and so on. Posts can be random or use a theme.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2016 - Badge

A to Z Blog List

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-z-challenge-sign-up-list-2016.html 

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REFERENCES:

Website of author
http://www.eldoctorow.com/ 

Previous Book Review of Homer and Langley
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2013/06/el-doctorow-homer-and-langley-new-york.html

* Image Credit:  Doctorow by Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

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