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Finnegans Wake

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Finnegans Wake

By: James Joyce
Narrated by: Barry McGovern, Marcella Riordan
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About this listen

"Riverrun past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs...."

So starts Finnegans Wake, the greatest challenge in 20th-century literature. Who is Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker? And what did he get up to in Phoenix Park? And what did Anna Livia Plurabelle have to say about it? In the rich nighttime and the language of dreams, here are history, anecdote, myth, folk tale and, above all, a wondrous sense of humor, colored by a clear sense of humanity. In this exceptional reading by the Irish actor Barry McGovern, with Marcella Riordan, the world of the Wake is more accessible than ever before.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©1975 The Trustees of the Estate of James Joyce (P)2021 Naxos AudioBooks Classics European World Literature Witty
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This is an excellent reading of a truly impenetrable novel. Many of the secrets of this novel are revealed only on relistenings.

Challenging but worthwhile

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Wonderful narration - particularly dynamics and pacing but also intonation, accent, voices - for such a complex work which must to be read aloud as well to be appreciated - this narration alone convinced me to begin seriously the fiendish amount of work required to sift the sparkling jewels of meaning so cleverly hidden within this books wry sounds and typography - one small example from just a fragment of sentence: “…from swerve of shore to bend of bay…” seems flowery and overwritten with alliteration - all shores in a bay bend right? so why say it twice - but… if you look at a map of Dublin the shore curves southeast from where the Liffey meets the sea but then the bay actually bends southwest and inward on itself before we get to Howth Castle & Environs. In eight words Joyce has subtlety moved our perspective in an important way I think often missed by readers - and confirming clearly that we should map Dublin from the sky alongside this part of the book - with all that entails. So subtle but intentional. So much to discover.

Wow - listen to it

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The narrators are excellent. Joyce is one of the greatest authors of all time, but this novel is a waste of effort to my mind. Ive listened to all 20 something hours and tried to read it several times and I am still little wiser about what is going on in it.

A Brilliant Failure

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