Dubliners

Resume du livre

'<em>I regret to see that my book has turned out un fiasco solenne</em>.'
James Joyce's disillusion with the publication of Dubliners in 1914 was
the result of ten years battling with publishers, resisting their
demands to remove swear words, real place names and much else, including
two entire stories. Although only 24 when he signed his first
publishing contract for the book, Joyce already knew its worth: to alter
it in any way would '<em>retard the course of civilisation in Ireland</em>'.<br>Joyce's
aim was to tell the truth — to create a work of art that would reflect
life in Ireland at the turn of the last century and by rejecting
euphemism, reveal to the Irish the unromantic reality the recognition of
which would lead to the spiritual liberation of the country.<br>Each
of the fifteen stories offers a glimpse of the lives of ordinary
Dubliners — a death, an encounter, an opportunity not taken, a memory
rekindled — and collectively they paint a portrait of a nation.