• A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

  • By: James Joyce
  • Narrated by: John Lee
  • Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars (307 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man  By  cover art

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

By: James Joyce
Narrated by: John Lee
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.61

Buy for $14.61

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Editorial reviews

With a rough-hewn Irish accent, John Lee narrates this classic novel by Ireland's favorite son. Joyce's first novel, this bildungsroman is nothing like his more daunting Ulysses, but it still shows the wide range of style and tone he used in his writing. Narrating any Joyce text is a demanding task, but Lee pulls it off expertly, not trying to make unique voices for characters, but melding them into a coherent overall narration. Americans not accustomed to an Irish accent may need some time to get used to this narration, but it's worth the effort as Lee's delivery certainly provides the local color of this timeless novel.

Publisher's summary

Perhaps James Joyce's most personal work, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man depicts the intellectual awakening of one of literature's most memorable young heroes, Stephen Dedalus.

Through a series of brilliant epiphanies that parallel the development of his own aesthetic consciousness, Joyce evokes Stephen's youth, from his impressionable years as the youngest student at the Clongowed Wood school to the deep religious conflict he experiences at a day school in Dublin, and finally to his college studies, where he challenges the conventions of his upbringing and his understanding of faith and intellectual freedom.

Joyce's highly autobiographical novel was first published in the United States in 1916 to immediate acclaim. Ezra Pound accurately predicted that Joyce's book would "remain a permanent part of English literature", while H. G. Wells dubbed it "by far the most important living and convincing picture that exists of an Irish Catholic upbringing".

©1923 Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor

What listeners say about A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    97
  • 4 Stars
    70
  • 3 Stars
    76
  • 2 Stars
    31
  • 1 Stars
    33
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    88
  • 4 Stars
    66
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    14
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    78
  • 4 Stars
    52
  • 3 Stars
    57
  • 2 Stars
    18
  • 1 Stars
    23

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good, but a little rushed

This is a good (not great) reading of a great book. I normally enjoy John Lee a great deal, but I see two problems here. First, the narrator's Irish accent is a little heavy-handed: more obviously "Irish" than that of other narrators of the book. (John Lee may be as Irish as Donal Donnelly for all I know; but I'm pretty sure "Howth" does NOT rhyme with "mouth." My conclusion, which I admit may be wrong, is that he's trying just a little too hard.) Second, much of it seems rushed. There's a crucial scene at the end of Chapter 3 when Stephen Dedalus visits a priest and makes confession. The priest is sorrowful, bemused, maybe a little jaded as he listens to Stephen's account of his well-developed erotic life; but Lee romps through the confessional dialogue with the same speed and energy he uses for the boyhood conversations on the football field.

Clearly there's soemthing subjective about this. I see from the other listings that the recording is about the same length as Jim Norton's; I would have said it was at least an hour shorter if not more. So I may not be articulating the real problem. I enjoyed it; it's certainly never dull; but I can't quite give it five stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Modernist Monster Maul, a Literary 'Godevil'

Joyce is otherworldly. It is hard to even judge his early stuff against itself. He seems to have been born a master of language and art. Most authors would be happy to end their careers with 'Dubliners' and 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.' For Joyce, these are just the beginning of his journey. This novel, more than any other, is a modernist monster maul, a literary 'godevil' that splits all readers. IT is impossible to interact with Joyce and not love him or hate him. Anyway, I loved Portrait of an Artist. I loved it all.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Magnificent

Magnificently complex book read beautifully by John Lee

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Lee Triumphs With Joyce's PORTRAIT

Once I became acclimated to the Irish accent, I found this presentation a delightful surprise. Joyce was far more accessible here than he would become with ULYSSES (or, ultimately FINNEGAN'S WAKE), but even still, he presented the reader with challenges.

To my amazement, Lee handled everything masterfully. Even the famous sections in which the author debates various aspects of Catholicism were delivered smoothly and cohesively.

Joyce is not for everyone, of course. For those considering the two greater works mentioned above, PORTRAIT is an excellent place to start. If one can follow the discourse on religion here, the catechism of ULYSSES should prove relatively easy, and perhaps the reader may proceed thence to "Howth Castle and Environs."

Bottom line: Though I do not revere this work as much as the other two, I must applaud the delivery and production.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Very tedious

I got this for a class I am taking and had to go get the print version. It was very tedious to read. He is a brilliant author but it is just not my thing to look up all the motifs and hiden meanings. The reader has such a thick accent I had a hard time understanding. It is not an Irish accent it is Scotch. He sounded like Shawn Connery but read to fast to be heard well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hell awaits

Dante has nothing over on Joyce on painting a tormented existence in hell. A bit dry at times but still an interesting read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly Performed!

I enjoy a good classic mixed in with my usual modern fiction now and then. John Lee, the narrator, doesn't disappoint in delivering this incredible work with style, perfect timing and voice characteristics.

While a classic is just that for a reason, it doesn't always make it palatable for today's consumer. This narrator delivers a stunning version that is more than palatable; it's a feast!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Joyce At His Most Accessible—Poetic Masterpiece

Joyce had perfect command of the English language. Portrait is for the most part an autobiographical account of Joyce’s life—a coming of age tale. It is filled with descriptions of his early life including the influence of the Catholic Church in his upbringing. To understand the entire text, it’s advantageous to do research on Joyce’s life. I realize that’s not something anyone likes to do anymore—but older literature is often written at a level at which research needs to be done to enhance the meaning of the themes, characters, etc. This is a perfect novel. When I first read this book in 9th grade, I had mixed feelings. Now, listening to it has convinced me of just how great this book is.

Narration and production is good. Listen to the sample before buying. There are various versions available, so if you don’t like this narrator you can try another.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Portrait of a Master

Joyce's lyrical prose is sometomes obscure and confusing, but it is always challenging, always stimulating and always poetic and above all, original.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

We all grow up...

A wonderful coming of age story set in Ireland. Full of question and thought. Challenging who one is and who one is meant to become.
Well narrated however spoken in a broken Irish way that is at times hard to understand.
Worth while leaves feeling thoughtful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!