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  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

  • By: James Joyce
  • Narrated by: Colin Farrell
  • Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (68 ratings)

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A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

By: James Joyce
Narrated by: Colin Farrell
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Publisher's Summary

Golden Globe winning actor and Dublin native Colin Farrell revisits his home country with a moving, authentic performance of one of Irish icon James Joyce’s masterworks, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

The quintessential coming-of-age story follows Stephen Dedalus as he matures in an era marked by budding Irish nationalism and intensely conservative Catholicism. From infancy to adulthood, Stephen struggles to find his place, flitting between periods of guilt-ridden fanatical religious obsession and hedonistic exploration. But even as he is pulled in every direction by family, flesh, faith, and nation, Stephen longs for something seemingly forbidden–the life of an artist.

Joyce’s first work to experiment with stream of consciousness style—a technique that he and his contemporaries developed—A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man evokes both the pains and complexities of growing up and the furious optimism that accompanies youth. Pulling from events from his own past, Joyce weaves a semi-autobiographical recount of life in nineteenth century Ireland, crafting a narrative that is at once tender and sharply satirical. When combined with Farrell’s gentle brogue, Joyce’s tale soars, as much a portrait of the artist as it is a portrait of Ireland itself.

Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Colin Farrell's narration of this classic certainly does not disappoint. James Joyce's prose often seems like it was written to be narrated because of its natural musicality and cadence.... Farrell's emphatic, lilting voice follows Stephen's mind into the nooks and crannies of consciousness. His vocal characterizations are distinct and effective, especially his loud, bold portrayal of Simon Dedalus, Stephen's father, a striking contrast to the sensitive, soft-spoken son. Yet Farrell captures the many facets of Stephen's thoughts and emotions, which run the gamut from boldness to meekness. Farrell's ability to handle such a variety of emotions in creating Stephen's voice makes this relatively short audiobook a success." (AudioFile Magazine)

"In Farrell's reading...the great set pieces of the book - the violently argumentative Christmas dinner scene, the harrowing sermon on hell...are delivered with admirable coolness and restraint." (The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent Narration for a Titan of Modernism

This is a wonderful reading by Colin Farrel that captures the complex language of the scholarly and Irish vernacular with vigour and aplomb.

There are sections of this novel that require intense and focused reading (particularly the philosophical ideas of the aesthetic in the first half of chapter 5) and offer a powerful discourse into the nature of art, beauty and how we relate to them. Overall, Stephen Dardalus’ character arc is a rewarding coming of age story but personally, I found the spiritual tussle in Ch.3-4 to be a grind.

A book that I am glad that I have read but not one that I would revisit for fun. Although, I will revisit the first half of chapter 5 entry be say with a more critical eye.

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  • Overall
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Loved the reading

Though when there was laughter in the book, I was surprised that it was just read about and not expressed, Still this book took me to a different place and time, though sometimes I was lost in the dreamscape of beautiful words, and sadness, the writing carried me through.

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Excellent exultant fiction

Brilliant narration first up, Colin Farrell owns this - but Joyce wow - he’s an entire cosmology, he’s a deep dive into the immense now, what an outstanding intellect and such a sensitive grafting of language, people, memories - dense and succinct and deeply nourishing

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