A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical novel written by James Joyce and published in installments between 1914 and 1915, and as a book in 1916. It tells us about the life of a boy named Stephen Dedalus, who is the alter ego of the author himself, so many events based on the real life of the writer appear in it.

Joyce develops his alter ego from innocent childhood to his becoming a confident and independent artist. The name of the protagonist, Dedalus, is a reference to the Daedalus of Greek mythology who escapes from a prison with wings that he makes himself.

Stephen Dedalus grows up in a deeply nationalistic and religious environment in Ireland. In Jesuit schools and universities, the young man tries to find his own identity and free himself from the ties and prejudices of his childhood. He abandons everyone around him: church, university, father and even his country in search of his true self.

The style of the book evolves along with the character, beginning with childlike language and becoming more academic and intellectual as Stephen grows older.