Ulysses by James Joyce

Last updated: 3 October 2026

What happens in Ulysses

Very little, in terms of plot. Leopold Bloom, who sells newspaper advertising space, spends the day walking around Dublin. He goes to a funeral, visits a newspaper office, eats lunch in a pub and worries that his wife Molly is having an affair. Meanwhile Stephen Dedalus, a young teacher and would-be writer, drifts through the same city. The two men finally meet late at night.

The novel is split into three parts and 18 episodes. Each episode matches a book of the Odyssey: Bloom is Ulysses, the Latin name for Odysseus, Stephen is his son Telemachus and Molly is Penelope. You do not need to know Homer to follow it, but the notes in a good edition point out the parallels as they come up.

Why it is hard, and how to read it

Joyce changes style in almost every episode. One is written like a newspaper, with headlines. Another is a play script, and the last is a single stream of Molly's thoughts with almost no punctuation. As a result, a reader who settles into one style is soon thrown by the next.

The practical answer is to read one episode at a time and use the notes. When a passage loses you, read on, because the next page often makes the last one clearer. Listening to an audiobook alongside the text also helps with the Dublin voices.

Publication, the ban and Bloomsday

Joyce wanted the book out on his 40th birthday, and Sylvia Beach's Paris bookshop, Shakespeare and Company, published it on 2 February 1922. Extracts had already led to an obscenity prosecution in the US. A US court cleared the book in 1933 and an appeal court upheld that in 1934. The UK ban lasted until 1936.

Joyce set the book on 16 June because it was the date of his first outing with Nora Barnacle, who later became his wife. Fans now mark that date every year as Bloomsday, with readings and walks around Dublin in Edwardian dress. The James Joyce Centre in Dublin runs the main festival.

The edition we recommend

The Oxford World's Classics second edition came out in February 2022, for the novel's centenary. Jeri Johnson edits it, and it prints the 1922 text with an introduction and detailed notes. It is a thick paperback at 1,088 pages. Avoid cheap unannotated editions for a first read, because the notes are what make the references manageable.

Ulysses on Amazon UK Ulysses on Bookshop.org

Key facts

• Author: James Joyce
• First published: 2 February 1922, by Shakespeare and Company in Paris
• Setting: Dublin, 16 June 1904
• Structure: three parts and 18 episodes
• This edition: Oxford World's Classics second edition, edited by Jeri Johnson, 10 February 2022, 1,088 pages, ISBN 9780192855107
• Price: £9.46 on Amazon UK, with 12 left, and £10.44 on Bookshop.org on 3 October 2026
• Ratings: 4.1 out of 5 from 3,576 ratings on Amazon UK

Who it suits

• Patient readers: people who enjoy language and do not mind rereading a page.
• Visitors to Dublin: many of the streets, pubs and shops in the book still exist.
• Book clubs with time: taken at two or three episodes a week, it fills about two months.

The limits

Ulysses is long and slow, and some episodes are hard going even with notes. Readers who want a story with momentum will find it frustrating. The Oxford edition is also heavy at around 1kg, so it is not a commuting book. For a classic that reads in a weekend, The Great Gatsby is under 200 pages.

FAQs

What is Ulysses by James Joyce about?

It follows Leopold Bloom, Stephen Dedalus and Molly Bloom through one day in Dublin, 16 June 1904, with each episode based on a part of Homer's Odyssey.

Do I need to read the Odyssey first?

No. The parallels add a layer, and an annotated edition explains them as you go.

Why was Ulysses banned?

Authorities in the US and UK judged parts of it obscene. A US court cleared it in 1933, and the UK ban ended in 1936.

What is Bloomsday?

Bloomsday is 16 June, the day the novel takes place. Readers mark it every year, mainly in Dublin, with readings and walks.

Which edition of Ulysses should I buy?

For a first read, the Oxford World's Classics second edition edited by Jeri Johnson, because its notes explain the references. It was £9.46 on Amazon UK on 3 October 2026.

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