A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

The most extensively annotated edition available with more than 1,000 notes by Marc A. Mamigonian and John Turner. This text is based on the Egoist Press second edition of 1918. James Joyce's first novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a Kunstlerroman which chronicles the emotional and intellectual development of Stephen Dedalus - a character partly based on the author himself - from his early childhood and his school and university days all the way to his first forays as a young artist. Dedalus's thoughts and epiphanies reveal the tensions, insecurities and feelings of guilt that are the product of living in a country and period so deeply divided along religious and political lines. Pioneering an innovative stream-of-consciousness technique characteristic of early Modernism, and often resorting to mythical, historical and literary allusion which would find fuller expression in Ulysses, Joyce's groundbreaking work shocked the readers of its day and continues to challenge analysis and interpretation.

This book is part of Alma Classics James Joyce's collection to include Chamber Music and Other Poems, Dubliners, Finnegans Wake and Ulysses.

Alma Classics is committed to make available the widest range of literature from around the globe. All the titles are provided with an extensive critical apparatus, extra reading material including a section of photographs and notes. The texts are based on the most authoritative edition (or collated from the most authoritative editions or manuscripts) and edited using a fresh, intelligent editorial approach. With an emphasis on the production, editorial and typographical values of a book, Alma Classics aspires to revitalize the whole experience of reading the classics.

Review

This volume presents the most ambitious annotations of title novel to date and might even surpass Don Gifford's colossal stand-alone reference guide. --The Joyce Quarterly

About the Author

Born in Dublin, James Joyce (1882 - 1941) spent most of his life abroad, living in Trieste, Paris and Zurich. His writings, however mainly centre on Dublin - most famously Ulysses, Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. He pioneered and perfected avant-garde prose techniques that saw him rise to the rank of one of Europe's foremost Modernists.