The Dead cover art

The Dead

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The Dead

By: James Joyce
Narrated by: Jim Norton
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About this listen

This is a story from the Dubliners, Volume 2 collection.

In the second half of Joyce's collection of stories about the citizens of Dublin at the turn of the century, the young author deals with themes of adulthood - of loss, parenthood, politics, religion, and - as in the earlier stories - of disappointment. Rich in humor and musical allusion, they contain (in "A Painful Case," for example, and "The Dead"), some of Joyce's most powerful and moving prose. Holding none of the difficulties of Joyce's most powerful and moving prose. Holding none of the difficulties of Joyce's later novels, such as Ulysses, Dubliners is, in its way, just as radical. These stories introduce us to the city which fed Joyce's entire creative output, and to many of the characters who made it such a well of literary inspiration.

Public Domain (P)1999 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Short Stories Witty

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All stars
Most relevant

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Without hesitation. Masterly crafted by Joyce, and the reading from Jim Norton - flawless.

What did you like best about this story?

The wind down at the end. Sublime.

Have you listened to any of Jim Norton’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any other of Jim Norton's performances, but after hearing his handling of this work, I will be looking out for more readings by Jim.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Again, the wind down at the end (denoument.) Both beautiful and sad.

Any additional comments?

If you find yourself with an hour and a half to spare, download this. Low price - highest of quality. Dim the lights and let Joyce and Jim work their magic. You won't be disappointed.

The most beautiful short story?

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A beautiful, haunting masterpiece that captures Anglo-Irish tensions in turn of the century Dublin and the unyielding power of the dead.

a beautiful, haunting masterpiece

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Great reading. Was hooked the whole time. A pleasure to listen to and not over performative.

This is the version to listen to.

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Not one of my favourites. An oddity and very old fashioned, which normally is irrelevant to me, but in this case is at the forefront of what I do not like. The moral of the story is what it is all about and I became exceedingly disappointed when the long awaited climax turned out to be a rather flat ending. I will need to listen to this several times over the next few years, maybe then it will grow on me and the 'so called beauty' of this story will reveal itself.

Not Something to Get Excited About

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