Ulysses

By: James Joyce

Narrated by: Jim Norton

Length: 27 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Ulysses is regarded by many as the single most important novel of the 20th century. It tells the story of one day in Dublin, June 16th 1904, largely through the eyes of Stephen Dedalus (Joyce's alter ego from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man) and Leopold Bloom, an advertising salesman. Both begin a normal day, and both set off on a journey around the streets of Dublin, which eventually brings them into contact with one another.

While Bloom's passionate wife, Molly, conducts yet another illicit liasion (with her concert manager), Bloom finds himself getting into arguments with drunken nationalists and wild carousing with excitable medical students, before rescuing Stephen Dedalus from a brawl and returning with him to his own basement kitchen.

In the hands of Jim Norton and Marcella Riordan, experienced and stimulating Joycean readers, and carefully directed by Roger Marsh, Ulysses becomes accessible as never before. It is entertaining, immediate, funny, and rich in classical, philosophical, and musical allusion.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

(P)2004 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Classics, 2005

"As ambitious and rewarding an audio production as any that exists, an audio experience that truly deserves to be cherished....Readers of Ulysses have long been encouraged to read out loud the more difficult sections for added comprehension and enjoyment of the language. Now, thanks to Naxos, the entire book is available in a performance to savor. It is safe to say that anyone wanting to experience the preeminent work of modern fiction has in this package the perfect audio companion." (AudioFile)

Musical in more than one sense

I've listened to several versions of this novel (or parts of them), including one by Donal Donelly and the newer one by John Lee; and while they all have their points of interest, this one captures the music best. I mean that literally: when one of the characters sings, Jim Norton sings too, rather than repeating the lyrics in sing-song fashion; and period music, including a number of titles specifically mentioned in the text, are scattered throughout. Norton has an incredible ability to mimic different characters in dialogue.

There are two flaws, but I can't bring myself to detract from the overall rating for either of them. First, the text used is an older one and includes a few misprints. Second, Jim Norton's volume varies considerably between the narrative and the dialogue. At times the narrative is almost whispered, and at times the dialogue is almost shouted. I found myself reaching often for the volume button. Even with that, though, Norton has one of the most pleasingly vibrant voices I've heard on any audiobook.

If you're going to tackle this book, have some kind of study guide at hand. It doesn't have to be TOO scholarly -- even SparkNotes will get you through some of the rougher patches. Or have the text itself to read along.

And don't forget to laugh. Despite its apparently pointless meandering through the streets of Dublin, this is one of the funniest books ever written.

This First-Time Reader Was Intoxicated

I'll rap rapturously about Ulysses, one day in the Dublin life of Joyce's Odysseus, Leopold Bloom, as divinely read by the inspired Jim Norton. Norton smoothly moves among myriad accents, from the mild educated Irish of Bloom to the thick Irish of drunken local cronies, while ably babbling in British (cockney and upper crust), French, German, Italian, and Spanish accents. He even barks as a dog, meows as a cat, clucks as a hen, burbles as a baby, laughs as a horse, and sings, too, in the voice of whatever character happens to be singing. And Marcella Riordan reads Molly Bloom's mesmerizing closing monologue with perfect thought and feeling.

Many things in Ulysses flew by me: the phrases in Latin and modern Romance languages; the references to Irish culture and politics; the identity of the Man in the Macintosh; the stream of consciousness memories and allusions; and the gargantuan vocabulary, by turns lushly sensual, eruditely scientific, beautifully ringing, coarsely slangy, and amusingly anachronistic. It helped to listen first to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the prequel to Ulysses, to ease in to Joyce's exuberant approach to life and language. And the Naxos notes to Ulysses (downloaded pdf from Audible) helped, giving the chapter-by-chapter Homeric Odyssey titles and brief summaries of the different scenes.

Finally, I had a weltering, ecstatic experience. Joyce laughs at his flawed, eloquent, and human characters with wry glee, but he also loves them. It's exciting to start each new chapter anticipating what narrative and stylistic antics Joyce will put his people up to next. The novel is an encyclopedic cyclopean paean to life and art: ugly, beautiful, earthy, sublime, sexy, spiritual, sad, funny, ironic, heroic, playful, philosophical, particular, universal, scientific, poetic, honest, artificed, vernacular, elevated, irreverent, moving, challenging, searching, rewarding, and humane.

A selected list of contents: mastication, alimentation, defecation, imbibition, micturition, expectoration, menstruation, masturbation, prostitution, fornication, copulation, reproduction, delectation, aromatization, introspection, retrospection, altercation, conversation, calculation, impersonation, imagination, hallucination, narration, enumeration, divagation, versification, harmonization, sanctification, transformation, affirmation--yes.

Jim Norton does it

You can actually learn a tremendous amount about Irish History, Church history, western culture and classical education by reading Ulysses. A monumental work that has been brought back to the epic oral tradition by Jim Norton.

Now in my opinion, this book would be completely inaccessible without Jim Norton. With Jim Norton, the book is accessible, but only with a lot of interest and curiosity. I enjoy it for the "inversion" Joyce pulls on the Odyssey. Ithaca is Ireland and Odysseus is a Jewish man that nobody seems to consider their equal.

Ulysses is best appreciated after having read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (to understand Joyce's Stephen Character, and his issues with Ireland) and Homer's Odyssey (the mythic underpinning of the book). Also needed is Gifford's "Annotated Ulysses" which explains the Irish/Church history references as well as the puns and all of the references to 19th century poetry that Joyce laces throughout.

Tried twice to listen, but can't get through it.

I took a look through all the existing reviews and find it interesting that most of the reviewers are male, and those men have given the story 5 stars. The few women who reviewed it gave it considerably less than 5 stars.

I am one of those women. I love classics and really wanted to get through this book. I tried twice to listen to the story, and both times I got through about an hour and a half and gave up.

The narrator does a decent job. His inflection is good and most of the time I can understand the Irish. However, I have to listen using ear phones because Mr. Norton sometimes yells and sometimes whispers.

I have this book in print and I'm going to try reading it that way, instead of listening to it. When listening, I can't seem to follow the flow of the story -- what are the thoughts and what are the conversations between the characters. Maybe reading the book will help.

A partially tamed beast

If you must get through Ulysses, this is the way to do it. Narrator Jim Norton deftly speaks for many characters, and sometimes he even sings. He makes Ulysses as coherent and accessible as it can be. I still found it helpful to read a study guide summary of each chapter prior to listening to the audiobook. The final chapter is especially good, so if you give up in the middle (I wouldn't blame you for it, I would blame Joyce), be sure to skip ahead and listen to the last couple hours.

Herculaneum

What narrate Joyce I said youre crazy as a loon its impossible quite impossible at a start well let me see now where to begin for a start theres a different genre every chapter and good Lord theres a play and a smutty novel and slang from at least five separate languages idioms from one hundred years prior the thing is though all things considering the narrators do a damn fine job but if you have half a mind and an eBay account you should definitely grab a copy to follow along and heaven help you if you dont check the internet every so often to see what the hell is going on but if you follow my advice to the letter and maybe even go a bit beyond youll discover a new favorite for sure to anyone who enjoys an affirming and beautiful novel this is not an experience to be missed.

Superb, but not for everyone.

I quickly got into the cadence of the novel, a work of genius. The readers were terrific, especially the woman. Superb.

Fabulously read classic book

loved it & will listen again as it is so well read. it brings so much of old Dublin to life

Must hear before must read!

What made the experience of listening to Ulysses the most enjoyable?

I'm not sure how you'd ever understand this without first listening to it? I listen to it while driving to work everyday and am constantly amazed by Norton's ability to portray the different characters as well as deliver what at times sounds like very complicated text. Having listened to hundreds of hours of books from the Iliad to the latest thriller, Norton is one of the very best!So how about the book? I'm not sure yet...at times it's laugh out loud funny, at times like stepping back into Dublin of the era with carts, trams and people whizzing by. While at other times it's more like an acid trip. Even then it's cool to

What other book might you compare Ulysses to and why?

Moby Dick. Might seem weird, but the language at times (

Which character – as performed by Jim Norton – was your favorite?

Stephen Daedalus...esp. drunk. Funny and believable.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No way! At times I have to take a break bec sections were pretty dense. At other though I'd just lie down with my head phones on and listen.

Any additional comments?

A great idea would be to listen with the book in hand (esp. if you have an eReader) because there are so many words and historical characters that I would have liked to look up.

Simple Great

What did you love best about Ulysses?

Beautifully written, wonderfully read. A treasure.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, needs to be absorbed over time.

Any additional comments?

Strongly recommend Frank Delaney's re:Joyce podcast, wherein he deconstructs Ulysses in a most interesting and entertaining fashion.