James JoyceJames Joyce
Score Classic
What it's about
Richard Ellmann's biography of James Joyce follows him from a childhood in a sinking Dublin family, through his life in exile in Trieste, Zurich and Paris with Nora Barnacle, his poverty, his failing eyesight, his daughter's mental illness, and the writing of Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist, Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award and is on the Modern Library list of the best nonfiction. It's often called the greatest literary biography of the century.
You'll love it if you liked
Ulysses
A Moveable Feast
The MasterGood to know
It's very long and detailed. It helps to have read some Joyce.
By the numbers
- Readers93 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics84 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it doesn't have enough readers yet for us to rank it alongside the Must-Read 50 pool. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
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Quick answers
Is James Joyce worth reading?
It won the National Book Award and is on the Modern Library list of the best nonfiction. Its Must-Read Score is 85.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is James Joyce about?
Richard Ellmann's biography of James Joyce follows him from a childhood in a sinking Dublin family, through his life in exile in Trieste, Zurich and Paris with Nora Barnacle, his poverty, his failing eyesight, his daughter's mental illness, and the writing of Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist, Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.
How long does it take to read James Joyce?
About 22 hours (887 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has James Joyce won?
National Book Award (Nonfiction) winner (1960).
What should I read after James Joyce?
If you liked it, try Ulysses by James Joyce, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway or The Master by Colm Tóibín.