Q 01/05

In which Dublin suburb was James Joyce born in 1882?

A) Rathgar

B) Rathmines

C) Ranelagh

D) Drumcondra

Answer · why

A) Rathgar

He was born at 41 Brighton Square, the eldest of ten surviving siblings, and the family moved often as his father's finances collapsed.

Q 02/05

On what date is Bloomsday celebrated each year?

A) 16 June

B) 2 February

C) 13 January

D) 17 March

Answer · why

A) 16 June

It is the day on which the whole of Ulysses takes place, and fans in Edwardian dress retrace Bloom's route around Dublin.

Q 03/05

In which year was Ulysses first published as a complete book?

A) 1922

B) 1925

C) 1928

D) 1931

Answer · why

A) 1922

The book follows three Dubliners through a single day in 1904, and its fans now celebrate that date every year.

Q 04/05

Ulysses parallels the episodes of which ancient epic poem?

A) The Iliad

B) The Aeneid

C) The Odyssey

D) The Metamorphoses

Answer · why

C) The Odyssey

Bloom stands in for the wandering Greek hero, Stephen Dedalus for his son Telemachus and Molly for the waiting Penelope.

Q 05/05

What was the name of Joyce's lifelong partner, later his wife?

A) Nora Barnacle

B) Sylvia Beach

C) Harriet Weaver

D) Lucia Anna

Answer · why

A) Nora Barnacle

She was a chambermaid from Galway working at Finn's Hotel when they met in June 1904, and the relationship lasted 37 years.