Literary events and celebrations will be taking place all around the globe to mark the original 2 February 1922 publication of James Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses – but it will be in the author’s home city of Dublin where the centenary will resonate most.
The Irish capital will be alive in 2022 with a programme of events, readings, food and walking tours, exhibitions, music, theatre and more, as Dubliners celebrate the novel that elevated Joyce into the pantheon of the greatest writers of all time.
Joyce himself was very superstitious about 2 February, not least because the first publication date of his great novel coincided with his 40th birthday.
On 2 February 2022 Dublin’s attractions will launch their programmes to celebrate the year ahead, with events taking place right up to 16 June – the single day during which all the action in Ulysses takes place, and which later became known internationally as ‘Bloomsday’ in honour of its central character Leopold Bloom.
Interestingly, Bloomsday falls on a Thursday in 2022 – in Ulysses, the action takes place on Thursday 16 June, 1904.
Among the literary attractions in Dublin marking the centenary will be the Museum of Literature Ireland, branded MoLI in homage to Molly Bloom, Joyce’s heroine in Ulysses, and home to ‘Copy No. 1’ of the novel.
The museum will be launching Ulysses 100, a new digital platform and guide to the international events celebrating the Joycean centenary, and alongside online exhibits, articles and films it will also feature introductions to the book.
Throughout the year, MoLI, which is located in one of Dublin’s finest historic houses, will host a series of events, inviting artists, writers and performers to discuss Ulysses and its continued impact on creativity today. These will be broadcast online to help global audiences connect with the novel.
Other highlights will include a series of special tours of the breathtaking Georgian houses and rooms in which Joyce studied as a young student. MoLI’s full Ulysses 100 programme, however, will be revealed on 2 February for the period running up to Bloomsday.