This compilation contains three of James Joyce's most important and recognisable works. Presented here in the order Joyce wrote them they provide an opportunity to enter his world from the comparatively shallow end of Dubliners to the deep end of Ulysses. Dubliners contains 15 short stories in Joyce's intended sequence, each with its own moment of realisation or epiphany, ending with what is considered to be one of the finest short stories in literature, The Dead. Portrait could be seen as the prelude to Ulysses. It shows the growth of Stephen Dedalus (James Joyce) from a young child to a young man. We see the emergence of the writer and all the elements that forged him. Ulysses is Joyce's masterpiece. It contains a whole host of writing styles, a lot of new words and experiments with the order the words are presented. It can be challenging at times but the rewards to be gained are incalculable. There are so many layers and levels within the book that if you let yourself become absorbed in it you will be entertained for life. When all is said and done, what Ulysses is really about is what it is to be human. I hope you enjoy this recording as much as I did. Tadhg Hynes.
