Nora: A Love Story of Nora and James Joyce by Nuala O’Connor - 2021 - A Novel - The One Dublin One Book Winner for 2022

 

Nora: A Love Story of Nora and James Joyce by Nuala O’Connor - 2021 - A Novel - The One Dublin One Book Winner for 2022

Narrated by Nora Barnacle Joyce, set from 1904 to 1951, this is historical fiction at its finest.

James Joyce

Born Rathgar, Ireland - February 2, 1882

The Dubliners - 1914

Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man - 1916

Ulysses - 1920

Finnegan’s Wake - 1939

Married to Nora Barnacle Joyce - 1931 to 1941

Died - January 13,1941 - Zurich, Switzerland 

Nora Barnacle Joyce - 1884 to 1951

Nora Barnacle, from Galway, at age 20 while working as a maid Finn’s Hotel in Dublin, fell in love with James Joyce at first sight.  They developed a deeply passionate affair.  Never did she dream of the relationship she would have with an incredible literary genius, taking her to Austria, Italy, and Paris.  They started out with him teaching at a Berlitz School in Ternitz, Austria barely being able to pay rent and lucky to have food.  When Joyce got paid, far too  often he spent the money on drinking with friends.  In this marvelous novel their early years are brought vividly to life. Joyce ends up moving to Rome to keep teaching.

Nora knows Joyce is a unique person even though she cannot read his work.  I could not help but smile when I learned she never made it past page 11 in Ulysses.  

One of the numerous factors that made Nora so exciting was looking forward to the results of publications of Joyce’s great works.  O’Connor shows us the difficulties Joyce had with prospective publishers, through the eyes of Nora. 

With the publication of Ulysses, with Joyce and Nora and their two children, Georgie and Lucia, living in Paris, their financial fortunes totally change.  Joyce receives  a very large grant plus royalties.  Of course if he gets 100,O00 pounds he spends it all.  We meet Slvia Beach, Ezra Pound, Peggy Guggenheim and other wealthy  socialites. Nora, a maid from Galeay, is mixing in high Society.  Finally after years they get married.  Everybody, including Joyce, is convinced of his genius.

One of the worst aspects of the life of Nora and Joyce was the terrible mental problems of his daughter.  Joyce’s vision 

problems became increasingly serious.

I have read several biographies of James Joyce.  I felt Nora gave a very strong feel for what living with James Joyce was like.  

I highly endorse this book to everyone interested in James Joyce.  There is much more in Nora: A Love Story of Nora and James Joyce by Nuala O’Connor than I have mentioned.

“Nuala O’Connor was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1970, and lives between Counties Galway and Leitrim.

Her fifth novel NORA (Harper Perennial/New Island, 2021), about Nora Barnacle, wife and muse to James Joyce, was recently published to critical acclaim in the USA, Ireland, the UK, and Germany, and is forthcoming in other languages.

NORA was named as a Top 10 2021 historical novel by the New York Times and was the One Dublin One Book choice for 2022. Nuala curated the Love, Says Bloom exhibition at MoLI, on the Joyce family, for #Ulysses100.

She is editor at flash fiction e-zine Splonk.”  From https://nualaoconnor.com/

Included is a list of books on Joyce and Nora, an interview and a note for book clubs.

Mel Ulm