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Ulysses (Dramatised)

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Ulysses (Dramatised)

By: James Joyce
Narrated by: Stephen Rea
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The young poet Stephen has been recalled from Paris to Dublin to be at his mother’s deathbed. But he refuses her dying wishes: to kneel and pray for her. Now, holed up in his Martello tower outside the city walls, he has to suffer the taunts of Buck Mulligan by day and, by night, the vision of ‘her eyes, shaking out of death to shake and bend my soul.’ Timelessly evocative, Ulysses is far more than the story of Stephen Dedalus’ journey through Dublin.

It is a huge, rich portrayal of human life. In this magnificent, highly accessible, part reading part dramatisation - which includes the famous Molly Bloom soliloquy - the power and truth of Joyce’s vision is as potent as ever. Ulysses stars Stephen Rea and Sinead Cusack, with an introduction by Seamus Heaney.

Public Domain (P)2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd Classics Adaptation

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Would you consider the audio edition of Ulysses (Dramatised) to be better than the print version?

Better? Not sure, but at least I can get through this classic without getting lost. The 30-minute episodes are easy to follow.

What other book might you compare Ulysses (Dramatised) to and why?

The Foundation Trilogy adaptation, another sprawling work made for the radio.

Which scene was your favorite?

The episode in the brothel, which is totally surreal.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

It's easier than the book.

Any additional comments?

The three main actors were all superb. Stephen Rea can do no wrong.

ULYSSES Easy to Digest

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What did you like best about Ulysses (Dramatised)? What did you like least?

I didn't finish it--- the reader is great but I don't want to even imitate the story , no one would get it--- its just not my kind of story.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I need to finish it still but its on my chores list

What does Stephen Rea bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

accents and energy.

Did Ulysses (Dramatised) inspire you to do anything?

put it down... lol

Boring story--- not my kinda book

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A fantastic way to "dip your foot" into the monumental novel that is Joyce's "Ulysses"... It says it's "dramatized" but it's a literal reading by multiple actors of an abridged version of the full novel; all of the text comes directly from the book itself. It's often said that "Ulysses" should be read aloud to more fully capture the puns and so forth and this audiobook proves that. The actors do a fantastic job in every way and really bring the "sound" of the book to life. I've long wanted to read the full novel but have always found it's length and complexity daunting (only having read about a quarter of it prior to this). With having the overall story and flow of the text (which changes from section to section) now under my belt, I feel much more ready to dive into the full novel (which I will be reading soon with a couple of guides at the same time). Highly recommended even if this is as far as you go with "Ulysses"... It'll be nice to have this to play again after I've tackled the full novel when I want to revisit "Bloomsday" and Joyce's amazing writing but don't have the time to commit for the full book.

A GREAT Way To Sample Joyce's Masterpiece

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Where does Ulysses (Dramatised) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the very best purchases I have made from Audible. Ulysses was meant to be read out loud, not to be read silently; this performance does it justice. I never would have read the whole book without having had this performance to get the ball rolling.

What did you like best about this story?

Ulysses deserves its reputation as the greatest novel of the twentieth century. The reader does need additional aids in order to follow what Joyce was doing with his narrative, and listening to the performance is good preparation for sitting down with the book and with at least two commentaries. I think that The New Bloomsday Book by Harry Blamires and Ulysses Annotated by Don Gifford are indespensible for anyone who was not living in Dublin in 1904, and that means most of us/

Have you listened to any of Stephen Rea’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have seen Stephen Rea on screen in a couple of films, where he performed his part quite well. Reading aloud is part of what any first-rate actor needs to be able to do, and he reads this with genuine understanding and skill

If you could rename Ulysses (Dramatised), what would you call it?

I think that Ulysses (Dramatised) works quite well. Ulysses Made Funny might also be appropriate, but the book was funny the whole time. This performance brings out the tremendous amount of humor which I never appreciated while reading silently to myself. "An entry into Ulysses" could also be a good title.

Any additional comments?

The performance is greatly enhanced by two devices: having a number of different voices, and by having some audio enhancements, such as music here and there. Ulysses is full of musical references, only a few of which are captured in this performance. In the Circe episode especially, the interaction of sound and drama makes the whole thing flow along powerfully.

The multitude of voices, male and female, add greatly to the quality of the production. If the listener goes to the "Nausicaa" episode, the rewards of doing so will be considerable. A skilled actress reads the first part, which takes place inside the mind of the young Gerty MacDowell; the freshness and innocence of an adolescent girl lead up to her orgasmic delight at seeing the bursting of the fireworks in the sky. This is a passage that makes everyone who hears it laugh out loud--of course Joyce intended it to be read this way!

Although the production is greatly abridged, and not a substitute for the whole book, it does provide an entry into the book and its lyrical qualities. I cannot recommend it too highly for anyone who has wanted to read the great book but who has become bogged down in its obscurity.

Appreciating Ulysses for the first time

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The dramatization really helped me to appreciate the story as well as all of the inventive writing. It is the first time I've ever made it all the way through this book!

The dramatization of this book was great

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The last chapter was the best. Molly's soliloquy was well done. If not for audio, I probably coukd not have completed the book.

Molly

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