Happy belated Bloomsday, ya’ll

A puzzle I turn over in my head sometimes is whether it’s worth someone’s time to read Ulysses.  Depends how much time you have, I guess.

I remember reading once that you can’t really begin to approach this book unless you can speak English, Old English, Irish, Greek, and Latin, and you’d probably best know Hebrew too.

My favorite part, from Episode 8, Lestrygonians.  Bloom sees a walking advertisement for his former employer:

A procession of whitesmocked men marched slowly towards him along the gutter, scarlet sashes across their boards. Bargains. Like that priest they are this morning: we have sinned: we have suffered. He read the scarlet letters on their five tall white hats: H. E. L. Y. S. Wisdom Hely’s. Y lagging behind drew a chunk of bread from under his foreboard, crammed it into his mouth and munched as he walked. Our staple food. Three bob a day, walking along the gutters, street after street. Just keep skin and bone together, bread and skilly. They are not Boyl: no: M’Glade’s men. Doesn’t bring in any business either. I suggested to him about a transparent show cart with two smart girls sitting inside writing letters, copybooks, envelopes, blotting paper. I bet that would have caught on. Smart girls writing something catch the eye at once. Everyone dying to know what she’s writing.