James Joyce had a terÂriÂble time with his eyes. When he was six years old he received his first set of eyeÂglassÂes, and, when he was 25, he came down with his first case of iriÂtis, a very painful and potenÂtialÂly blindÂing inflamÂmaÂtion of the colÂored part of the eye, the iris. A short time latÂer, he named his newÂborn daughÂter “Lucia,” after the patron saint of those with eye trouÂbles.
For the rest of his life, Joyce had to endure a horÂrifÂic series of operÂaÂtions and treatÂments for one or the othÂer of his eyes, includÂing the removal of parts of the iris, a reshapÂing of the pupil, the appliÂcaÂtion of leechÂes directÂly on the eye to remove fluid–even the removal of all of Joyce’s teeth, on the theÂoÂry that his recurÂring iriÂtis was conÂnectÂed with the bacÂteÂrÂiÂal infecÂtion in his teeth, brought on by years of poverÂty and denÂtal neglect.
After his sevÂenth eye operÂaÂtion on DecemÂber 5, 1925, accordÂing to GorÂdon BowkÂer in James Joyce: A New BiogÂraÂphy, Joyce was “unable to see lights, sufÂferÂing conÂtinÂuÂal pain from the operÂaÂtion, weepÂing oceans of tears, highÂly nerÂvous, and unable to think straight. He was now depenÂdent on kind peoÂple to see him across the road and hail taxis for him. All day, he lay on a couch in a state of comÂplete depresÂsion, wantÂiÂng to work but quite unable to do so.”
In earÂly 1926, Joyce’s sight was improvÂing a litÂtle in one eye. It was about this time (JanÂuÂary 1926, accordÂing to one source) that Joyce paid a visÂit to his friend Myron C. NutÂting, an AmerÂiÂcan painter who had a stuÂdio in the MontÂparÂnasse secÂtion of Paris. To demonÂstrate his improvÂing vision, Joyce picked up a thick black penÂcil and made a few squigÂgles on a sheet of paper, along with a carÂiÂcaÂture of a misÂchieÂvous man in a bowler hat and a wide musÂtache–Leopold Bloom, the proÂtagÂoÂnist of Ulysses. Next to Bloom, Joyce wrote in Greek (“with a minor error in spelling and charÂacÂterÂisÂtiÂcalÂly skewed accents,” accordÂing to R. J. Schork in Greek and HelÂlenic CulÂture in Joyce) the openÂing pasÂsage of HomeÂr’s Odyssey: “Tell me, muse, of that man of many turns, who wanÂdered far and wide.”
NOTE: Joyce’s drawÂing of Bloom is now in the Charles DeerÂing McCormick Library of SpeÂcial ColÂlecÂtions at NorthÂwestÂern UniÂverÂsiÂty. NutÂting was a sigÂnifÂiÂcant source for the biogÂraÂphy of Joyce that was writÂten by Richard EllÂmann, a proÂfesÂsor at NorthÂwestÂern. AccordÂing to Scott Krafft, a curaÂtor at the library, EllÂmann broÂkered a deal in 1960 for the library to purÂchase NutÂting’s oil paintÂings of James and Nora Joyce, his pasÂtel drawÂings of the Joyce chilÂdren GiorÂgio and Lucia, along with Joyce’s sketch of Bloom, for a total of $500. The source for the JanÂuÂary 1926 date of the Bloom sketch is an artiÂcle, “James Joyce…a quick sketch” from the July 1976 ediÂtion of FootÂnotes, pubÂlished by the NorthÂwestÂern UniÂverÂsiÂty Library CounÂcil. Our thanks to Scott Krafft.
Note: An earÂliÂer verÂsion of this post appeared on our site in 2013.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
James Joyce: An AniÂmatÂed IntroÂducÂtion to His Life and LitÂerÂary Works
What Makes James Joyce’s Ulysses a MasÂterÂpiece: Great Books Explained
James Joyce’s CrayÂon CovÂered ManÂuÂscript Pages for Ulysses and Finnegans Wake
Read the OrigÂiÂnal SeriÂalÂized EdiÂtion of James Joyce’s Ulysses (1918)
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