Celebrating Bloomsday (June 16) with author Frank Delaney and ‘Re:Joyce’

A native of County Tipperary, Ireland, and a current Litchfield County resident, Frank Delaney has undertaken a daunting but most worthy task: “demystifying” one of literature’s most beloved, complex and expansive works, James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” Two years ago, on June 16, Delaney began an ambitious project. “Re: Joyce,” a weekly, five-minute podcast, aims to tackle “Ulysses” word by word, page, by page, chapter by chapter(https://frankdelaney.com).To put the magnitude of such an undertaking in perspective, the novel’s word count is about 265,000 with a page count in some editions of 621. Of course, the richness of Joyce’s masterpiece cannot be summed up by a page count. It is a book “teeming with life,” says Delaney, one that is filled with references evident and obscure to everything from music to poetry, theology to philosophy, from history to daily news stories. It is Delaney’s happy task to uncover the dizzying layers of meaning, references and subtle suggestions that make “Ulysses” such an inexhaustible work. In two years, Delaney says he has gotten to about chapter three, some days covering little more than four words. When asked how much longer he expects the project to take, he says he has calculated it will take about 27 more years. June 16, Delaney’s start date, is internationally known as Bloomsday. Named after the main character of the novel, Leopold Bloom, it is the day on which the novel takes place (in the year 1904, in Dublin). While Delaney (and his audience) celebrate Bloom every week, traditional Bloomsday celebrations have been held on June 16 since the novel’s appearance in 1918. On Bloomsday in Dublin, Delaney said in an interview with The Lakeville Journal, masses of Joyce lovers clothed in Edwardian dress celebrate the book, eating Bloom’s breakfast of gorgonzola cheese sandwiches with a glass of Burgundy wine. The core of the festivities is, of course, the book itself. “Joyce was a fine singer,” Delaney said, “and the book really ought to be read out loud.” Readings of “Ulysses” in a spirit of togetherness are at the heart of any true Bloomsday celebration. In this spirit, Delaney brings “Ulysses” to the masses every week, helping readers enjoy what can seem like an intimidating task. With half a million listeners already, he seems to be getting through. This Bloomsday, tune in to WBAI radio from New York City for its annual, seven-hour show (Delaney will be one of the readers; https://radiobloomsday.blogspot.com). Or maybe just get together with some friends, some gorgonzola sandwiches, a bottle of burgundy and a copy of “Ulysses.” And when you get to the hard parts (which begin on roughly the first page), turn to “Re:Joyce.”