James Joyce, the twentieth century’s most influential novelist, was born in Dublin on February 2, 1882. A pleasant smile broke quietly over his lips. The plump shadowed face and sullen oval jowl recalled a prelate, patron of arts in the middle ages. He skipped off the gunrest and looked gravely at his watcher, gathering about his legs the loose folds of his gown. Two strong shrill whistles answered through the calm. He peered sideways up and gave a long low whistle of call, then paused awhile in rapt attention, his even white teeth glistening here and there with gold points. A little trouble about those white corpuscles. For this, O dearly beloved, is the genuine Christine: body and soul and blood and ouns. Stephen Dedalus, displeased and sleepy, leaned his arms on the top of the staircase and looked coldly at the shaking gurgling face that blessed him, equine in its length, and at the light untonsured hair, grained and hued like pale oak.īuck Milligan peeped an instant under the mirror and then covered the bowl smartly.

Then, catching sight of Stephen Dedalus, he bent towards him and made rapid crosses in the air, gurgling in his throat and shaking his head. He faced about and blessed gravely thrice the tower, the surrounding country and the awaking mountains. Solemnly he came forward and mounted the round gunrest. Halted, he peered down the dark winding stairs and called up coarsely: A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him by the mild morning air. Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.

James joyce ulysses