James Joyce is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, with works like Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man. Read more about the life and works of James Joyce.
1. My Brother's Keeper: James Joyce's Early Years
by Stanislaus Joyce, and Richard Ellmann (Editor). Da Capo Press. From the publisher: "Stanislaus Joyce was more than his brother's keeper: he was at various times his brother's touchstone, conscience, and biggest fan. The two shared the same genius, the same childhood influences, the same literary instinct - but in Stanislaus that instinct was channeled into sober academic pursuit, while in James in evolved into gaiety, wild whimsy, and at times sodden despair."
2. James Joyce
by Richard Ellmann. Oxford University Press. From the publisher: "The fresh material deals with most aspects of Joyce's life: his writings and his attitude towards them, his experiences of love and desire, his domestic travails, his political views."3. Joyce's Metamorphosis
by Stanley Sultan. University Press of Florida. From the publisher: "The respected Joyce critic Stanley Sultan describes his newest book as philological biography. Using the fiction the young James Joyce was writing from 1904 to 1906, he traces the process by which Joyce evolved into the mature artist."4. James Joyce: Passionate Exile
by John McCourt. St. Martin's Press. From the publisher: "Featuring rarely seen photos and sketches, a superbly illlustrated account of the life and work of the twentieth century's most distinguished novelist."5. James Joyce : A Literary Life
by Morris Beja. Ohio State University Press. The author offers a new look at James Joyce, starting with his boyhood with "As All of Dublin: The Years of Youth," and following his life in chapters like "Standing by the Door: The Early Work," "The Curve of Emotion: The Years of Portrait," "A Touch of the Artist," and "Work in Progress."6. Re Joyce
by Anthony Burgess. W.W. Norton & Company. Read and enjoy this author's discussion of Joyce. Chapters include: "Solemnisations," "Inheritances," "A Paralysed City," "Martyr and Maze-Maker," "Free Flight," "You Poor Poet, You," and more.7. Conversations With James Joyce
by Arthur Power. University of Chicago Press. This book recreates the conversations that Power had with Joyce during the 1920s. Topics range from discussions of authors like Synge, Ibsen, Hardy, Proust, Tennyson, and Shakespeare to politics, culture, and religion.8. James Joyce
by Edna O'Brien. Viking Penguin. From the publisher: "With all the earthy sensuality and majestic storytelling that have made her one of Ireland's preeminent writers, award-winning novelist Edna O'Brien paints the most passionate, personal, and sensuous portrait of her fellow countryman yet written. James Joyce is a return journey to the land of politics, history, and the saints and scholars that shaped this creator of the twentieth century's most groundbreaking novel, 'Ulysses.'"9. Our Joyce: From Outcast to Icon
by Joseph Kelly. University of Texas Press. From the publisher: "In the beginning of his literary career, James Joyce was an Irishman writing to protest the deplorable, volatile conditions of his native country. Today, he is an icon revered as a literary genius within the academic cottage industry known as 'Joyce studies.' Our Joyce explores his amazing transformation of a literary reputation, offering an unusually frank look into how and for whose benefit literary reputations are constructed."10. James Joyce A to Z: The Essential Reference to the Life and Work
by A. Nicholas Fargnoli, and Michael Patrick Gillespie. Oxford University Press. This book is useful to student reading about Joyce for the first time, but it also has resources for those more familiar with his works as it provides cultural, historical, biographical, and critical information.