• The Dead

  • By: James Joyce
  • Narrated by: Jim Norton
  • Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (60 ratings)

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The Dead  By  cover art

The Dead

By: James Joyce
Narrated by: Jim Norton
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Editorial reviews

In "The Dead", a story from James Joyce's Dubliners, Gabriel Conroy and his wife, Gretta, attend an annual dance and dinner hosted by the Morkan sisters. Confrontations throughout the night, including challenges to his Irish nationalism and the increasingly distant behavior of his wife, cause him annoyance and frustration. When Gretta, in a sentimental mood, tells about a former love, Gabriel begins to question the truth about his life. Jim Norton delivers this complex narrative with an impressive authority, exerting command over the nuances of Joyce's language, and his judicious use of Irish accents makes the characters spring to life.

Publisher's summary

This is a story from the Dubliners, Volume 2 collection.

In the second half of Joyce's collection of stories about the citizens of Dublin at the turn of the century, the young author deals with themes of adulthood - of loss, parenthood, politics, religion, and - as in the earlier stories - of disappointment. Rich in humor and musical allusion, they contain (in "A Painful Case," for example, and "The Dead"), some of Joyce's most powerful and moving prose. Holding none of the difficulties of Joyce's most powerful and moving prose. Holding none of the difficulties of Joyce's later novels, such as Ulysses, Dubliners is, in its way, just as radical. These stories introduce us to the city which fed Joyce's entire creative output, and to many of the characters who made it such a well of literary inspiration.

Public Domain (P)1999 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

What listeners say about The Dead

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The best short story ever written.

Nothing can equal this superlative prose. The best of James Joyce is right here. Haunting and unforgettable.

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great, short, and easy read.

there's not a lot of action in it, but its a good read and a classic.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Superlative performance of an extraordinary story

Jim Norton gives the most subtle, thoughtful, gorgeously layered performance of Joyce. Both The Dead and (a much longer investment of time) Ulysses are, for my money, definitive readings.

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