Joyce In Court: Hardiman's fascinating take on Ulysses writer and the law
New book by late Supreme Court judge "is a pleasure to read", writes his friend Michael McDowell
As Joycean aficionados get ready for the annual Bloomsday, a new book written by the eminent Irish Supreme Court judge Adrian Hardiman shortly before his death explains the links between Joyce’s literature and the law
One lesser known aspect of Joyce’s work was his fascination with Ireland’s legal instruments. But one man who appreciated this more than anyone was Hardiman, who sadly passed away in March of 2016.
Hardiman’s incredible legacy lives on however in the pages of Joyce in Court, an accessible guide to the many examples of in-camera activity available in the Joycean canon.
In this weekend’s Sunday Business Post Magazine, long-time friend and admirer of Judge Hardiman, Michael McDowell SC, reviews this special book and we also share an exclusive extract.
McDowell writes: “Hardiman recreates for the reader an understanding of the contemporary Irish legal system and culture. Indeed, without Hardiman’s contextual analysis, any reader of Ulysses would miss a very substantial portion of the book’s meaning and anatomy.”
He adds: “Even to those who find Ulysses somewhat impenetrable and to those who never even attempt to read Finnegans Wake, Joyce In Court is a pleasure to read and a real treasury of Joycean history in context.The terrible pity is that Adrian never saw its publication.”
For the full fascinating read, make sure you get your copy of the Sunday Business Post this Sunday.
Joyce In Court: James Joyce and the Law by Adrian Hardiman is published by Head of Zeus and is out now at good bookshops nationwide, priced €29.99
