The manuscript of 'Giacomo Joyce', written in James Joyce's best handwriting and folded between the covers of a school notebook, was discovered in Trieste. Most likely written in 1914, some of it served as a rehearsal for passages in Ulysses. Had Joyce meant to pillage it or publish it? Either way, this fragmented evocation of unrequited desire is, in the words of Joyce's biographer Richard Ellmann, a work of 'small, fragile, enduring perfection'.
With a new introduction by Colm Tóibín.
Bringing together past, present and future in our ninetieth year, Faber Stories is a celebratory compendium of collectable work.***
Who? A pale face surrounded by heavy odorous furs.
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(@FaberBooks, 15 October 2019, ebook, 35 pages, bought from @AmazonKindle)
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I'm not a huge fan of James Joyce. I haven't read Ulysses as I find the style off-putting. However, I enjoyed Giacomo Joyce despite it's fragmentary structure. This is not a story so much as a sequence of scenes and passages all which focus on unrequited desire. There are no characters as such as very little happens. I enjoyed this because the emotions and feelings expressed rang true. Who hasn't experienced unrequited desire? This is a powerful piece of writing.
