The June 16th issue of the New Yorker has a fascinating story on James Joyce’s grandson.
It turns out that Stephen James Joyce has complete control of the Joyce estate and is the one to dole out permission to quote liberally from his books and letters. But he is so protective of his family’s privacy that he says “no” to practically every request – and in the process has squelched the once-thriving academic field of Joyce studies.
The article, by D.T. Max, makes the case that the grandson is a bit unbalanced.
A Stanford professor who had to completely revise her book on Joyce’s daughter Lucia because of Stephen Joyce’s threats is suing the estate. Carol Shloss, working with Lawrence Lessig, filed a suit in court on Monday.
All of this is timely. The events in Ulysses take place on June 16, 1904. This Friday is Bloomsday.
1 comment:
This happens in the art world too when an heir gets control of an estate. It can be really messed up. Sometimes they even authenticate works that are fake and discredit works that are real.
Something should be done, cultural minds belong to all of us, not just blood relatives who may understand less about the work than others do in some cases.
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