Bloomsday to Zoomsday

June 16, 2020 11:03 AM

Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June, the day his 1922 novel Ulysses takes place in 1904, the date of his first outing with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle, and named after its protagonist Leopold Bloom.

Locked down fans of Ulysses from Brazil to Canada and Ireland are finding ways to continue the annual events commemorating the novel [Grauniad]
The Hammer’s free Bloomsday salute to James Joyce: quarantine must-watch of the day [LA Times]
ONLINE: Bloomsday 2020 [Direct link to the Hammer event]
What Leopold Bloom's food diary tells us about Bloomsday [RTÉ]
Bloomsday 2020 Becomes Virtual and Sofia Becomes Dublin in One Day [Novinite]
Pork kidney breakfast? 12 ways to celebrate Bloomsday at home [Independent.ie]
2020 Bloomsday festival to take Joyce fans on digital odyssey [Irish Examiner]

Bloomsday previously on MetaFilter

posted by chavenet (8 comments total)

Dang, there's so much to choose from!

I think I might get a late start on the 29+-hour stream from RTE, though. See you tomorrow night!
posted by wenestvedt at 11:18 AM on June 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

The Irish Repertory theatre has made their 2019 performance of YES! Reflections of Molly Bloom available through YouTube Live, but you have to register for the free "tickets" (a private link).
posted by gladly at 11:31 AM on June 16, 2020 [2 favorites]

I was unexpectedly drafted into participating in a Filthy Joyce Reading competition in a small-town Irish pub a few years ago on Bloomsday, where we were given some salacious passages from Joyce and asked to perform them. I lost to a local radio DJ, which I have to admit felt like being an amateur going up against a pro.
posted by biogeo at 11:43 AM on June 16, 2020 [2 favorites]

It's June 16? What?
posted by thelonius at 1:02 PM on June 16, 2020 [3 favorites]

From where I sit, the New Bloomusalem sounds pretty good right about now.
posted by Alensin at 1:46 PM on June 16, 2020 [1 favorite]

I have begun Ulysses twice and never got further than page 50 or so. And yet, for a decade now I had this idea of sitting down on Bloomsday and read as much of Ulysses what I can possibly can. To not stop for anything, whether it's unknown words or (literary) references but instead let the language just wash over me.

That's what I did - virtually nonstop - for the last 17 hours now and I managed to get to chapter 16. And while I don't regret this ...experiment* to finally find a way into the book (it certainly got me more curious about it and there are a few chapters I would like to re-read), I'm very close to breaking my brain and desperately need to sleep off some of the more enigmatic and/or obnoxious chapters now...

(* Because yes, I know, this is presumably not the 'proper' way to read this book.)
posted by bigendian at 8:06 PM on June 16, 2020 [4 favorites]

bigendian, this is how I was told to read big difficult books, in college. Just keep going, whether you understand what you are reading or not. (Then re-read, if you want to understand, or if you need to pass the course....)
posted by thelonius at 9:48 AM on June 17, 2020

Also my birthday, the night of the Watergate break-ins.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:25 AM on June 17, 2020