Bloomsday

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Joyce statue in front of the former "Cafe Kylemore" on O'Connell Street in Dublin, near The Spire

The Bloomsday is an every year on June 16 solemnly committed Remembrance Day, which is on the Ulysses , the main work of Irish writer James Joyce refers. Namesake is the main character of the novel, Leopold Bloom .

The relation to Ulysses

First edition of Ulysses, 1922

The novel Ulysses is set in Dublin and describes the events of a single day, June 16, 1904. On Bloomsday, fans and friends, readers (and non-readers) of the novel seek out the “real” places of the fictional events, where its main characters - the advertiser Leopold Bloom and his wife Molly, the young teacher and writer Stephen Dedalus and other fictional characters - do or experience certain things, such as buying lemon soap in Sweny's shop or eating a gorgonzola bread at Davy Byrne.

Joyce used the date for an autobiographical reason: on this day he managed to take his future wife Nora Barnacle out for the first time - for dinner and for a walk on the beach at Sandymount . On June 14th Joyce met her on Nassaustreet in Dublin and was deeply impressed. He asked them to meet on June 15th. Nora Barnacle accepted but did not appear. Joyce was looking for her - and on June 16 the meeting took place.

That something sexual may have happened between them on this day can be deduced from the following anecdote : Nora Joyce is said to have said in a circle of friends about June 16, 1904: “That was the day when I made a man out of Jim! “However, some more chaste traditions only speak of a“ first kiss ”.

Historic Bloomsdays

"Martello" tower in Sandycove (Ireland)
Main square of Szombathely , home of Leopold Bloom's father Rudolf Virag
Plaque on the wall of the house where a Blum family lived in the mid-19th century
Statue of James Joyce in Szombathely

The first official Bloomsday took place on June 16, 1954: A small group of writers gathered for a trip to the Martello Tower in Sandymount. Also included were Patrick Kavanagh , the poet John Ryan and Flann O'Brien .

Since then, annual events have been organized in Dublin in honor of Joyce and his novel and characters. It is not uncommon for them to turn into a drinking spree .

A pub crawl was already part of the first public Bloomsday celebration in literary history - on June 16, 1929 -: Joyce had discovered a Hotel Leopold near Paris and invited his family, his publisher Sylvia Beach and several writer friends, including Samuel Beckett , there for a "déjeuner Ulysses". David Norris reports:

“On the way back to Paris […] Joyce and Beckett insisted on stopping at every pub to have more wine. At some point it got too colorful for the driver accompanying the company. He drove off and left the completely drunk Beckett in a pub toilet, from which he did not return to Paris until the next day. "

Bloomsday today

Although Bloomsday is not a public holiday in Ireland, it is now listed on an equal footing with St. Patrick's Day in English-language calendars . It is the only public holiday in the world dedicated to a novel .

Bloomsday increases the attraction of the city of Dublin considerably: It is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions . In 2004, on the occasion of the centenary, festivities were held in Dublin from April 1st to August 31st under the motto “ReJoyce Dublin 2004”.

On Bloomsday itself and throughout the year, guided hikes are offered in Dublin in the footsteps of the Ulysses heroes. The tours diverge:

“That depends on who your favorite character in Ulysses is. If you're more of a Stephen Dedalus fan, the best thing to do is start your day outside in Sandymount by the Joyce Tower and then slowly make your way to the bars towards the city center. If, on the other hand, you are a fan of Leopold Bloom, then you start in town, take a trip to the Glasnevin Cemetery, then visit the National Library and the Ormond Hotel and finally there is of course music and another drink in Davy Byrnes Pub. "

Bronze plaques are embedded in the street pavement of the city, which indicate the respective locations. Some fans wear costumes from King Edward's time. Dark clothing and a "quality hat" (not: "quality hat"; Bloom wears a "Hu" because the "t" on the leather strap has already been rubbed off) are also appropriate for the occasion.

Some also celebrate Bloomsday by singing Irish folk songs that appear in the novel Ulysses .

Classic elements of a Bloomsday in Dublin

  • Starting point: Eccles Street No. 7, Bloom's house in the north of Dublin (the house was demolished, the original front door can be found in the James Joyce Center, a few doors down).
  • Reading Ulysses at Joyce Tower (Sandycove)
  • take a bath at Forty Foot (also Sandycove)
  • Have a gorgonzola and a glass of burgundy at Davy Byrne's (21, Duke Street, near Grafton Street ).
  • Buy lemon soap at Sweny's in Lincoln Place (in your pocket). Take this opportunity to sign the petition to keep the building.
  • Eat a (lightly burnt) pork kidney fried in butter for breakfast.
  • indulging in indecent things on Sandymount Beach
  • End point: Custom House on the Liffey .

See also

  • Szombathely - birthplace of the father (Rudolf Virag) of Leopold Bloom

Web links

Commons : Bloomsday  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The new owner, who knew Mrs. Sweny personally, is still running the pharmacy under the same name and is still in charge of the lemon soap, which is still made with the same recipe.
  2. ↑ David Norris: Origins of Bloomsday ; quoted from Carsten Beyer: 100 years ago: Bloomsday in Ireland ( Memento from June 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive ); DeutschlandRadio Berlin calendar sheet from June 24, 2004.
  3. ↑ David Norris: “It started out modestly and civilized, but on the way to their destination they passed so many pubs that they could barely stand. When we finally got to the tower, it culminated in Kavanagh and Flann O'Brien accidentally peeing on each other . "David Norris: Origins of Bloomsday ; ; quoted from Carsten Beyer: 100 years ago: Bloomsday in Ireland ( Memento from June 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive ); DeutschlandRadio Berlin calendar sheet from June 24, 2004.
  4. ↑ David Norris: Origins of Bloomsday ; quoted from Carsten Beyer: 100 years ago: Bloomsday in Ireland ( Memento from June 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive ); DeutschlandRadio Berlin calendar sheet from June 24, 2004.
  5. ^ Berlin Bloomsday
  6. ↑ So Helen Monaghan, director of the James Joyce Center in Dublin and a real great niece of the poet, about a "Typical Bloomsday".
  7. ↑ See Down by the Sally Gardens (Bloomsday) - Fayne ( Memento of February 20, 2009 in the Internet Archive ); Video on sevenload.com from June 19, 2007. Also search: Bloomsday