What, you may ask, is Bloomsday? Bloomsday, celebrated on June 16, commemorates James Joyce, the Irish author and his novel, Ulysses. Leopold Bloom is the main character in Ulysses; the novel spans just one day, June 16, in Dublin.

Bloomsday is celebrated at The Rosenbach, a museum and library in Philadelphia, which owns a handwritten manuscript of Ulysses. Villanova is an active participant. Megan Quigley, PhD, associate professor, Dept. of English, is one of the judges for the Bloomsday Essay Contest. Contestants, either undergraduate or graduate, submitted essays on Ulysses or another work by Joyce. James Murphy, PhD, emeritus professor and founder of the Irish Studies Program, now the Center for Irish Studies, will be one of the readers in the day-long reading of Ulysses. The Irish Studies Center will have a table with information for anyone interested in Villanova’s Irish Studies.

Bloomsday at The Rosenbach runs from noon until 8 pm. It is free and open to the public. The Rosenbach is located at 2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia. In addition to the reading of Ulysses, there will be musical performances, a silent auction, a beer garden and food from local vendors. There will be free admission to the historic house which includes the display in the rare book library. Admission to the current exhibit, “Clever Criminals and Daring Detectives” is free for Bloomsday.

Dig Deeper:

Free Downloadable audiobook of Ulysses
The Cambridge companion to James Joyce
Joyce Reading from Ulysses
Our Special Collections holdings for Joyce
The James Joyce Centre website

This Dig Deeper was compiled by Sarah Wingo, librarian for English literature and theatre. Contact information: office – room 223, telephone – 610-519-5183, email Sarah.Wingo@villanova.edu

We are committed to accuracy and will make appropriate corrections. We apologize for any errors and always welcome input about news coverage that warrants correction. Messages can be e-mailed to alice.bampton@villanova.edu or call (610)519-6997.