How to Read James Joyce’s “Ulysses”

My story for Bloomsday (June 16)

Over a breakfast Guinness in Fresno, Irish-Canadian author Brian Doyle once told me about the book club he had belonged to for years: “We only read one book, over and over. That would be Ulysses.”

When I confessed I’d never been able to finish that behemoth novel myself, he shared the club’s secret: “There’s a great audio version by Donal Donnelly and, at each meeting, we follow along in the book as we listen to the CD.” As it happens, I was next driving up to Seattle and ran into the same 40-CD set on sale at the University of Washington Bookstore. As I was checking out, the clerk asked me:

“What’s this all about?”
“I’m going to listen to them as I drive back to San Diego” I explained.
“How many hours would it take to listen to the whole set?” the clerk asked.
“Forty,” I replied.
“And how long will it take you to get to San Diego?” he inquired.
“Twenty-two hours,” I answered.
“So, what are you going to do?” he pressed.
“Drive to Mexico City and come back,” I answered and left him flummoxed at the cash register.

As it turned out, my plans went awry. I never finished listening to the CD collection. By the time I got California, I’d be driving down the freeway somewhere and get to laughing so hard that I would have to pull over.

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