Parisian Sojourns and Dublin Dreams: Exploring the Migrant Experience of James Joyce
James Joyce spent almost twenty years in Paris over the course of his life. He was drawn to the city by his fascination with French poets, such as Charles Baudelaire, and in turn left his own mark on the city by way of a small park in the 13th arrondissement, the Jardin James Joyce.
And yet, the pull of home remained strong, as Joyce, in exile, constantly wrote about Dublin in his work. Never returning to Ireland, Joyce, nevertheless, demonstrates the many connections that exist in the migrant’s life.
This talk, delivered by DCU assistant professor of English Ellen Howley, explores Joyce’s time in Paris, from the literary circles he engaged with to the works he published while there. Taking us from the bohemian Left Bank in the 1920s to the impending threat of war in the 1930s, it reveals the importance of the City of Light to Ireland’s most well-known author.
About Our Speaker
Dr Ellen Howley is Assistant Professor at DCU’s School of English, based on the All Hallows Campus in Drumcondra, where, according to Joyce, they “speak the best English.” She primarily researches Irish and Caribbean poetry and her book, Oceanic Connections: The Sea in Irish and Caribbean Poetry will be published by Syracuse University Press. She has also co-edited a book of essays, with Ian Hickey, Seamus Heaney’s Mythmaking (Routledge, 2023). Elsewhere, she has written for the Irish Times, RTE Brainstorm and The Conversation, and appeared on Newstalk’s Moncrieff and Lunchtime Live and RTE’s Drivetime. Further information can be found at: ellenhowley.com