James Joyce

James Joyce was born in Rathgar in Dublin in 1881. A brilliant student, James abandoned a career in medicine to pursue his dream of being a writer. After meeting his future wife Nora, the two left Dublin in 1904 to live on the Continent. But Dublin never left James's heart. Over the next three decades James based his characters on people he knew in Dublin. But it was his home city that was the main theme in his books, even naming one of his most famous works 'Dubliners.' As James continued to live in exile and battled bad health and family problems, his genius as a writer grew. In 1922 he puplished 'Ulysses', a novel that would become world famous and change the way books were written and read. James is one of the greatest Irish writers. His life and works are celebrated each year on June 16th - which his native city has named Bloomsday in honour of Leopold Bloom, James's main character in 'Ulysses.'