The most venerated (and unread) novel of the 20th Century, Ulysses by James Joyce, details a day in the life of Dubliner Leopold Bloom with dense metaphors and stream-of-conscious meanderings.
Each year on June 16, Joyceans relive Bloom’s day with readings, performances, reenactments and other events. Writers Patrick Kavanagh and Flann O’Brien first celebrated the event known as Bloomsday in Ireland in 1954 when they literally and figuratively drank in the settings of Davy Byrne’s pub and 7 Eccles Street.
Locally, we’re celebrating a day later at the Education Channel — a cheeky revisionist move for one of lit's most revised texts, eh?
The party includes food by O'Briens' Irish Pub of Brandon, craft beer from Brandon Boot Leggers Homebrew Club and wine by Bootleggers Home Brew Supply.
The Irish Buskers perform traditional Irish music, and attendees can bring a book for the Best Book You Never Read Swap hosted by Old Tampa Book Company. New World Celts will be here sharing how to have Celtic fun all year. Plus, La France donated hats and boas for everyone to have their photo taken in.
Enter a prize drawing, limerick challenge or read aloud passages from Ulysses — if you dare!
Joyce to the World, a documentary about Bloomsday, will be aired on TBAE Network as part of the local celebration (Ch. 32 Verizon, Ch. 614 Bright House) on Thurs., June 16, 9 p.m.
Bloomsday festivities take place tomorrow, Friday, June 17, 6-10 p.m. at 703 N. Willow Ave., Tampa. $20. tbae.net
This article appears in Jun 16-22, 2011.