Thursday, 10 December 2015

The reading has progressed to: "A nobody, two pair back and passages, at seven shillings a week, and he covered with all kinds of breastplates bidding defiance to the world." (12.1070)

Here is Catherine Meyer's rendering of the Irish growling tower encountered in a scene from last week's reading:

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2015

Thursday, 26 November 2015

The reading stopped at "The friends we love are by our side and the foes we hate before us" (12.524).

A ghost made an appearance in this chapter ("In the darkness spirit hands were felt to flutter … " (12.338). Dignam came back -- which prompted Catherine Meyer to try to capture some of the scene visually. Note the distinctive feature of her mirror writing (Catherine writes with both hands at the same time, in two directions, and in mirror). 

Of the drawing she says: 

"Although ghosts are not paintable because they are invisible I painted a stereotyped ghost in the return room (Fritz Senn likes this word, because in French "ce sont les revenants"). The immortal soul is at the right hand side of the picture under the bed waiting to be soled. (The boot has to be soled.)"

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2015

Thursday, 19 November 2015

The reading of a new chapter, (no. 12: "Cyclops"), stopped at: "Greek street with his cod’s eye counting up all the guts oft he fish" (12.214).

Catherine Meyer, local artist and long-standing member of the reading groups, has allowed us to post here her rendering of a particular favourite of this week's reading: "He drink me my teas. He eat me my sugars. Because he no pay me my moneys" (12.31-32). (She explains about the picture that "there is no spoon there and the hands are under the table – because he can no pay the moneys".) We would like to thank her.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2015

Thursday, 12 November 2015

The reading stopped not long from the end of the chapter at, "Wallop. Seems to be what you call yashmak or I mean kismet. Fate" (11.1233).

Catherine Meyer (local artist and long-standing member of the reading groups) has, in her own words, "tried to paraphrase this lovely passage about music". We thank her for permission to reproduce her visual interpretation here:

Catherine Meyer © Zürich 2015

James Joyce Pocket Calendar 2016

The Joyce Pocket Calendars for 2016 are out. The Calendar records as many datable events from Ulysses, Portrait, Dubliners and Exiles as we could find. 

We have a limited batch of 50 and (thanks to a sponsor we found for this lot) are able to make them available for CHF 25 a piece (or $ 25 / EUR 23 / £ 17), plus postage. Orders can be placed through Fritz Senn (fritzsenn@me.com) or directly with Bill Brockman (uxb5@psu.edu) or Sabrina Alonso (sabrina.alonso@bluewin.ch). 

Thursday, 5 November 2015

The last reading stopped at line 11.996 on:

— What key? Six sharps?
— F sharp major, Ben Dollard said.

Thursday, 29 October 2015

The group has read as far as, "too slow for boylan, blazes boylan, impatience boylan, joggled the mare" (11.766).

Our faithful updater (and artist), Catherine Meyer, notes in her email to this blog's host:

Wieder einmal hatten wir als thema die sprache, die nur hintereinander erzählen kann, obwohl dies und das gleichzeitig geschieht.

Ich habe zu diesem thema eine kleine tuschzeichnung gemacht. Während man schläft und träumt, kommen die bilder haufenweise miteinander und durcheinander und gleichzeitig hat man angstschweiss, wenn knurrend der tiger einen frisst. (Bei mir so der fall.) Das mädchen auf der zeichnung hat aber süssere träume. Träume dürfen wild durcheinandergewürfelt sein, während ein text doch mit einem wort nach dem anderen gefüllt sein sollte. mit ausnahme von finnegans wake (der auch irgendwie durchstrukturiert ist).

We have the artist's permission to reproduce the drawing here.

Catherine Meyer © Zürich, 2015

Thursday, 22 October 2015

The reading stopped at: "Amoroso ma non troppo. Let me there" (11.541)

Thursday, 15 October 2015

The group has started episode 12, also referred to as "Sirens" and reached line 11.279 in the Galber edition:

– The tuner was in today, miss Douce replied, tuning it for the smoking concert and I never heard such an exquisite player.
– Is that a fact?

Thursday, 1 October 2015

Our trusted co-reader Andreas Gross reports the group's progress to: "the threemasted schooner Rosevean from Bridgwater with bricks" (10.1099).

Thursday, 24 September 2015

The reading stopped at: "You say right, sir. A Monday morning, twas so, indeed" (10.829).

Thursday, 17 September 2015

The reading of the chapter Wandering Rocks paused at: "He shut his eyes thight in delight, his body shrinking, and blew a sweet chirp from his lips" (10.565).

Catherine, who keeps us posted about the group's progress, comments: 

Do you like to wander around? It turns your head in a meditative mood and sometimes "God" sends you some creative ideas. Who knows if something similar may be happening in this episode when Father Conmee thinks "of that tyrannous incontinence, needed however for men’s race on earth, and of the ways of God which were not our ways" (10.171). Is he including himself in "our ways"? It may be an honest thing to do…

Thursday, 10 September 2015

Catherine Meyer, our faithful reporter on the group's progress, adds in her note (in German):

"im wandering rocks irren wir durch zeit und raum, vorwärts und rückwärts und ich sehe so, dass die gedanken wirklich gleichzeitig fast überall sein können, wohingegen die physische last (körper) immer schön alles nacheinander abtrippeln muss. Also ist sprache wie körper. Eines nach dem anderen. Wohingegen die einzelnen sinne im körper ja sehr wohl mehrere sachen miteinander verbinden können. Also wir sind bei den dedalus kindern zu hause."

The reading will thus proceed from: "Katey and Boody Dedalus shoved in the door of the closesteaming kitchen" (10.258).

Thursday, 3 September 2015

The reading group has now started episode 10, also referred to as "Wandering Rocks", and reached line 39 with "O, lest he forget. That letter to father provincial" (10.39).

Thursday, 27 August 2015

The reading stopped at: "Unwed, unfancied, ware of wiles, they fingerponder nightly each his variorum edition oft he taming oft he shrew." (9.1062)

Thursday, 20 August 2015

The reading stopped at:

          What of all the will to do? 
          It has vanished long ago ...

It will resume from (9.800):

- She lies laid out in stark stiffness in that second-best bed … 

Thursday, 13 August 2015

The reading stopped at: "O, you peerless mummer! 0, you priestified Kinchite!" (9.555) 

Thursday, 30 July 2015

Note there will be no reading of Ulysses during the first week of August (due to the Workshop held at the Foundation): no reading on Thursday, 6 August 2015

The group stopped at: 
– Mr Dedalus, your views are most illuminating. (9.328)

Thursday, 23 July 2015

Note: There will be no reading of Ulysses during the first week of August (due to the Workshop held at the Foundation) - no reading on Thursday, 6 August 2015


The group has started the library chapter (episode 9, also referred to as "Scylla and Charybdis") and has read to: "Hold to the now, the here, through which all future plunges to the past" (9.89).

Thursday, 16 July 2015

The reading stopped at: "The blind stripling tapped the curbstone and went on his way, drawing his cane back, feeling again" (8.1105). 

Thursday, 9 July 2015

The readers have progressed to:

     His midriff yearned then upward, sank within him, yearned more longly, longingly.
     Wine. 

(8.794)

Thursday, 2 July 2015

The reading group was halted at: "Stop. Stop. If it was it was. Must." (8.592).

Thursday, 25 June 2015

The Thursday group has stopped at: "Barmaids too. Tobaccoshopgirls." (8.456)

Thursday, 18 June 2015

The group has read to "Could see her in the bedroom from the hearth unclamping the busk of her stays: white" (8.197).

Thursday, 12 June 2015

The reading did not take place on 12 June.

Thursday, 4 June 2015

The Thursday group has now reached the end of episode 7 (Aeolus).

Thursday, 28 May 2015

The group has reached "– Muchibus thankibus" (7.780), ending the section headed "A POLISHED PERIOD". 

The next title is "A MAN OF HIGH MORALE".
     

Thursday, 21 May 2015

The group has now reached line 7.511:

– How do you do? the editor said, holding out a hand. Come in. Your governor is just gone.

The next headline is made up of three question marks: ? ? ? 

Thursday, 14 May 2015

The reading has now advanced to "Our lovely land" (just before the heading "SHORT BUT TO THE POINT") in episode 7, also referred to as "Aeolus" (7.271).

Thursday, 7 May 2015

The group has now gone through "Hades" (episode 6), ending on the words "How grand we are this morning".

A note re 14 May (Ascension Day): There will be a reading. Even though almost everything will remain closed on Ascension Day, the group assembles as usual.

Thursday, 30 April 2015

The group stopped at: "New lease of life" (6.796).

Thursday, 23 April 2015

The group has read to 6.573 (chapter 6, line 573, according to  the Gabler edition):

— Many a good man's fault, Mr Dedalus said with a sigh. 

Thursday, 16 April 2015

Got to: "Foundation stone for Parnell. Breakdown. Heart." (6.320)

Thursday, 9 April 2015

Into "Hades" now (episode 6) and stopping at "No, Mr Bloom said. He was alone" (6.50)
 

Thursday, 2 April 2015

Stopping at an ironically fitting passage before Easter, the group has made it to I.N.R.I. or: "Iron nails ran in" (5.374).

Thursday, 26 March 2015

The group has reached "Hate company when you" at line 5.83 in the Gabler edition. This is the episode also referred to as "Lotuseaters".

Thursday, 19 March 2015

The group has got to "Destiny. Ripening now. Vain: very", (three paragraphs after Milly's letter) (Gabler 4.431).

Thursday, 12 March 2015

With the start of episode 4 (Calypso), the group has reached, "At their joggerfry. Mine. Slieve Bloom" (Gabler 4.139).

Thursday, 5 March 2015

With the paragraph starting "five fathoms out there", the group is nearing the end of episode 3 (Gabler 3.479).

Thursday, 26 February 2015

We stopped at a gruesome "Feefawfum. Izmellz de bloodz odz an Iridzman". (Gabler 3.293) (Penguin p. 56)

Thursday, 19 February 2015

We have now started the third episode and reached: "fat with the fat of kidneys of wheat" (Gabler 3.119) (Penguin p. 49).

Thursday, 12 February 2015

The group has reached the end of chapter 2, the "dancing coins".

Thursday, 5 February 2015

The group has started the second episode (generally referred to as "Nestor") and stopped at: – Run on, Stephen said. Mr Deasy is calling you. (Gabler 2.183) (Penguin p. 34)

Thursday, 29 January 2015

We have read down to: "That's our national problem, I'm afraid, just now." 
(Gabler 1.668) (Penguin p. 25)
   

Thursday, 22 January 2015

The group has read to: 

–  Look at that now, she said. (Gabler 1. 417) (Penguin p. 16)
   

Thursday, 15 January 2015

The Thursday group started the book from the beginning again and has reached:

- Look at yourself, he said, you dreadful bard! (Gabler 1.134) (Penguin p. 5)