Remember how much you loved James Joyce's epic novel Ulysses? Oh, you mean you never made it through the ultra-dense stream-of-consciousness text that was hailed as the most important work of the 20th century? Us either. We couldn't even make it through the Cliff's Notes.
The literati, though, love this book, which was considered quite scandalous in its day. Every June 16 around the world, communities celebrate Bloomsday in honor of the book's protagonist Leopold Bloom, with the grandest taking place in Dublin, the setting for the book. June 16 is the same day that the entirety of Ulysses takes place,
Philly also hosts a Bloomsday of its own. The Rosenbach Museum, which counts James Joyce's original manuscript of Ulysses among its holdings, celebrates the event outside of its digs on Delancey Street in Rittenhouse Square every June 16 and this year is no different.
Swing by the museum to hear notable Philadelphians read excerpts from Ulysses, including District Attorney Lynne Abraham, Fergie's Pub and Monk's Cafe owner Fergus Carey and Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron, from noon to 6:30 p.m., plus stop inside for a look at the original manuscript and other Joyce paraphernalia.
