Ulysses

Ulysses is a novel by the Irish writer James Joyce, published in Paris in 1922 after its serialization in the United States was stopped by an obscenity prosecution.

The novel is a modern version of the Odyssey, and it follows Leopold Bloom, a Dublin advertising canvasser, through a single day: 16 June 1904. Alongside him are the young writer Stephen Dedalus, in the role of Telemachus, and Bloom's wife Molly, whose unpunctuated monologue closes the book.

Each episode is written in a different manner — newspaper headlines, a catechism, a hallucinatory night-town play — which is what makes the book both famous and difficult.

The book draws a number of parallels between Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, and the novel, with structural correspondences between characters and experiences.

However, Joyce also uses the novel to explore broader themes, such as religion, philosophy, and art.

The novel is considered one of the most important works of the 20th century, and has influenced many other writers and artists.