My Brother's Keeper: James Joyce's Early Years

By Stanislaus Joyce and T.S. Eliot

Book Overview

Stanislaus Joyce was more than his brother's keeper: he was at various times his brother's co-dependent, touchstone, conscience, and biggest fan. The two shared the same genius, the same childhood influences, and had the same literary instinct, but in Stanislaus it was channeled into sober academic pursuit, while in James it evolved into gaiety, wild whimsy, and at times sodden despair. Covering the first twenty-two years of James Joyce's life in Dublin and Trieste, My Brother's Keeper is a window onto the drama that was his youth. Thanks to Stanislaus's superb memory and sure hand, here we find the Dublin of Dubliners: the streets, neighbors, churches, and unforgettable eccentrics. Here we see the model for Ulysses' Simon Dedalus: James' father, a dour and violent figure when in his cups. Here are the Joyces in their own home, and the minor characters that pepper A Portrait of the Artist: Eileen, Leopold Bloom's comely daughter; Mrs. Riordan, the surly teacher; Mr. Casey, the political agitator. And finally, here is Trieste, a place of exile for Stanislaus but a retreat for James. Stanislaus Joyce has fashioned both an invaluable primary source for his brother's opaque masterpieces and a loving memoir of his brother's early life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 030681210X
• ISBN13: 9780306812101
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

EXCELLENT INSIGHT INTO THE ARTIST

STan really did keep and care for James and his family, including when JAmes briefly returned to Ireland to establish an art cinema chain leaving his family in ITaly. Excellent insight into the brilliant writer by his also brilliant brother. Please read this book for greater understanding and afection for the specifics of Joyce's work (how stan was pictured in the story A Painful Case), although the view of the universal themes grows dim as we can no longer see the woods for the trees Essential to any complete James JOyce bookshelf and a wonderful and grateful gift for any member of the fervent Joycean faith