James Joyce in Paris : A colloquium!

The Embassy was delighted to bring together international Joycean scholars for a seminar dedicated to the writer. Organised by Joseph Nugent (Boston College) and Patrick Mullen (Northeastern University), the day featured a series of panels covering a wide range of topics related to the Irish author and his work.

No fewer than 60 Joycean enthusiasts, including students from Northeastern University, attended the Embassy for the aptly named James Joyce in Paris conference. Over the course of the day, panels and speakers took turns discussing topics including colours in Ulysses, Beckett's and Proust's syntax, and the relevance of Joyce’s writing for psychoanalysis.

Joyce's connection with France, and Paris in particular, was at the heart of the discussions. The Irish author lived in France between July 1920 and December 1940. In Paris, he gained reputation and fame as an avant-garde writer. The meeting between Marcel Proust and Joyce in Paris in 1922, the French translations of Ulysses, and the work’s links to the Dreyfus Affair were among the topics discussed by the scholars.

The conference was a great way to launch our Bloomsday weekend celebrations!