Thursday, June 15, 2006

BLOOMSDAY ArsTechnica: "To lovers of Irish literature, June 16 is better known as Bloomsday. The annual celebration of James Joyce's Ulysses takes place on the summer day when Leopold Bloom took his fictional stroll through the streets, homes, businesses, and brothels of Dublin more than a century ago. Dedicated readers often travel to Dublin in an attempt to retrace Bloom's steps (not completely possible any longer) and drink copious amounts of beer. They also like to listen to passages read aloud from the book. All good fun, right? In the last few years, though, the day has taken on an increasingly sober cast as Joyce's sole literary executor has wielded the power of copyright to shut down much public discussion of his grandfather's life and work, and even to silence public readings. Lawrence Lessig recently got involved in the case after hearing from an academic who was threatened with legal action over a book on Joyce's daughter. He will file suit against Stephen Joyce this week, asking a judge to declare that his client (Carol Shloss, a Stanford English prof) has the right to use material under the 'fair use' exemption to copyright." Read Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture (pdf). So, yes, tomorrow is Bloomsday. Bloomsday in Dublin. Reading Ulysses. 12:00:54 PM

© Copyright 2006 Hetty Litjens.