James Joyce is one of the masters of world literature. He was a man exiled from Ireland and fated to write and re-write his greatest masterworks, with his goal: the perfect exemplifications of literary styling. He wasn't bothered by controversy--his famous Ulysses is one of the most famously banned novels. It's got sex, violence, inner turmoil/angst--just about anything you could imagine!
You don't need to love Joyce, or his works--to celebrate today. (His brother had a great deal to say about him...) You don't have to be passionate about Irish literature, culture, Dublin or beer--to enjoy this day. Perhaps it's enough to know that something vaguely infamous happened today, with a vague sense that the event is literary in slant (or focus).
Just so you know... Today is June 16. It's called Bloomsday. It's the day on which James Joyce first dated the love of his life, Nora Barnacle. (There's still something romantic in that, though I think most people remember the day more for the next reason...)
June 16th is also the day on which Joyce's infamous novel, Ulysses, is set (where Leopold Bloom wanders the streets of Dublin, thinking about his wife's infidelity--among other things).
Now that you know a little bit about the day, will you celebrate it?
If you don't have time for books or events or even a beer (or drink) lifted in commemoration of the day, perhaps take a moment to remember the journey you've traveled to this point. Joyce made it all about a day in the life of an everyman, but what has your life been with books? How far have you come? What have you learned? What knowledge do you yet crave?
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