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The Most Dangerous Book
The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses | Kevin Birmingham
10 posts | 8 read | 2 reading | 6 to read
Recipient of the 2015 PEN New England Award for Nonfiction “The arrival of a significant young nonfiction writer . . . A measured yet bravura performance.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times James Joyce’s big blue book, Ulysses, ushered in the modernist era and changed the novel for all time. But the genius of Ulysses was also its danger: it omitted absolutely nothing. Joyce, along with some of the most important publishers and writers of his era, had to fight for years to win the freedom to publish it. The Most Dangerous Book tells the remarkable story surrounding Ulysses, from the first stirrings of Joyce’s inspiration in 1904 to the book’s landmark federal obscenity trial in 1933. Written for ardent Joyceans as well as novices who want to get to the heart of the greatest novel of the twentieth century, The Most Dangerous Book is a gripping examination of how the world came to say Yes to Ulysses. From the Trade Paperback edition.
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review
BC_Dittemore
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Pickpick

The perfect coda to Ulysses. Birmingham‘s book delves into the history of censorship and some of the key players involved while deftly blending parts of Joyce‘s biography and the many hurdles Ulysses had to face. After reading this book my theory that Joyce was a troll is further cemented. But I also feel bad for him; he suffered a lot of hardship and knowing his plight does help put Ulysses in a different perspective.

Highly recommend.

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ladyonequestion
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Pickpick

Probably quite an odd book to get so passiinate about, but this made by brain explode! A mixture of biography of Joyce and the book and legal history it's a really good read too and makes you realise how important the book is and the extent of censorship. It also places Ulysses within the context of modernism and the other writers who were affected by it (didn't realise how big a fan Hemingway was!). Some great research too.

ReadingEnvy Loved this one! 6y
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ladyonequestion
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When a book sets your brain on fire in the best way possible and you want to go looking for obscure articles about feminist journals on jstor. I love the way Birmingham explores Joyce's life and work against the backdrop of emerging modernism and how it reflected societal change. Aside from Joyce I am also learning about Ezra Pound and Dora Marsden.

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alijzaidi
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Pickpick

Great book really gives a lot of insight into the battle to publish Ulysses.

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charl08
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None of these things are true...

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keithmalek

If an agreement isn't voluntary, it's coercive. If you have not explicitly consented to an authority, then it is your master. Because all governments are compulsory, they are all oppressive. To overthrow a monarchy and create a democracy is merely to trade the tyranny of the king for the tyranny of the majority--if you happen to be in the minority, the distinction is irrelevant.

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keithmalek

In a world overrun by mediocrity, individuals with extraordinary talent had extraordinary responsibility.

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keithmalek

Risk generated devotion. Your relationship to a book changes when you have to hide it from the government.

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Kkhalifeh
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"Mr. Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls." It's been a long time since I've read Ulysses but reading this book about the struggles to get it published is making me revisit some favorite passages.

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LitLogophile
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My first book of my third year of law school is involuntary: I was assigned this for an intellectual property and the first amendment class. But I thought I would share this because the first line really drew me in!

Alicia Good luck with 3L!! I'm a lawyer too! 🗂🗄🗃⚖ 8y
GinaAnderson 3L is best L. Enjoy your year. 8y
44 likes2 comments