James Joyce

Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June. It marks the day in which Joyce’s legendary Ulysses was set in 1904. However, have you ever heard of how Joyce died in Switzerland during war time Europe? His death and burial in Zurich was attended by view and barely reported on in Irish newspapers. Here some examples from the Irish Press which brought news of his death on Monday 13th January 1941 and in the Irish Independent three days later of his burial as reported around the world by Reuters:

After being pronounced out of, danger earlier yesterday, James Joyce, the Irish born author, became suddenly worse last night and died early this morning. He had undergone an emergency abdominal operation on Saturday.

 James Joyce was born in Dublin in February 1882 and studied at Clongowes, Belvedere and at University College, Dublin. His first publication was " Chamber Music " a small volume of lyrics in 1907. While in Dublin he published "Dubliners," a set of tales and studies of Dublin personalities, in 1914, and the novel, "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" in 1916. He left Dublin about this period and spent the remainder of his life in Europe, living at various times in Rome, Trieste, Paris and Zurich. His publications between 1914 and 1921 were few, but in 1922 came his much discussed " Ulysses," which attracted considerable attention because of some obscene and objectionable passages.

"Work in Progress "was another publication with a Dublin background which appeared intermittently between 1927 and 1932, of which writers wrote of the style as a " difficult problem " and as a work that " to 999 readers out of 1,000 must forever remain a sealed book."

In many of his writings Joyce introduced his knowledge of theology, medicine and music, and he was inclined to use technical words which were at first difficult to understand.

Mr. Stephen Gwynn, in his "Irish Literature and Drama      " said of "Ulysses" that it had ‘beyond question, affected or infected the whole of Europe."

James Joyce's father was a Parnellite organiser. Joyce himself grew up along with the Gaelic League and the literary revival.

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Three days later the Irish Independent reported of his funeral that it was sparsely attended:

Zurich, Wednesday - James Joyce, the Irish author, was buried to-day at the top of the Zurichberg. The ceremony was simple, with no clergyman, no Scripture, reading, and no prayer. The funeral was attended by his widow, his son, a noted Zurich oculist, Professor Ogt, who saved Mr. Joyce's eyesight after ' 20 years of virtual blindness, and a number of the author's Zurich friends. In a eulogy, Professor Henrich Straumann, Professor of English Literature at Zurich University placed the author among the immortals. Lord Dvent, of the British Legation at Berne, who had been Mr. Joyce's friend since the last war, said Joyce wrote with strange, detached, obstinate grandeur Dr. Geilinger, representing the Swiss Writers' Association, also spoke.

For more information search the pages of the Irish Newspaper Archive (www.irishnewsarchives.com )