Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
    Audiobook (abridged)47 minutes

    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

    Written by James Joyce

    Narrated by Cyril Cusack

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Cyril Cusack reads a selection from Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSaland Publishing
    Release dateJan 12, 2011
    ISBN9781908650047
    Author

    James Joyce

    James Joyce was born in Dublin in 1882. He came from a reasonably wealthy family which, predominantly because of the recklessness of Joyce's father John, was soon plunged into financial hardship. The young Joyce attended Clongowes College, Belvedere College and, eventually, University College, Dublin. In 1904 he met Nora Barnacle, and eloped with her to Croatia. From this point until the end of his life, Joyce lived as an exile, moving from Trieste to Rome, and then to Zurich and Paris. His major works are Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), Ulysses (1922) and Finnegan's Wake (1939). He died in 1941, by which time he had come to be regarded as one of the greatest novelists the world ever produced.

    More audiobooks from James Joyce

    Related to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

    Related audiobooks

    Classics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Two Poems by Charles Baudelaire

      Jun 9, 2020

      After my friend and I left the tobacco shop, he carefully sorted his loose change; slipped some small gold coins in his left jacket pocket; into the right went the silver pieces; in his left pants pocket, a handful of centimes; and in the right, a si

      2 min read

    • Article

      Kazuo Ishiguro And The Inescapable Perils Of The Internet

      Apr 18, 2018

      “I have this feeling, that all it will take will be one moment, even a tiny moment.” When Kazuo Ishiguro won the Nobel Prize in Literature I was slightly disappointed. I was a “Harukist”—over the preceding eight months, I had been religiously reading

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Memory Police

      Aug 14, 2019

      The Memory Police
      1 min read

    • Article

      Seven Books I’ll Never Read

      Aug 7, 2018

      Seven Books I’ll Never Read
      6 min read

    • Article

      Holden Caulfield And The Culture Of Sexual Assault

      Feb 12, 2018

      Since it came out in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye has meant different things to different readers. For some, Holden Caulfield was the rebellious voice of a generation; for many today, he’s a whiny rich kid; for a pair of recent biographers, he’s the

      5 min read

    • Article

      Re-Covered: The Mischief

      Dec 2, 2019

      Re-Covered: The Mischief
      8 min read

    • Article

      Fighting with Czesław Miłosz

      Oct 24, 2018

      Fighting with Czesław Miłosz
      6 min read

    • Article

      'Bad Sex In Fiction' Award Goes To Novelist Who Compared Skin To Stained Bathtub

      Dec 1, 2017

      American writer Christopher Bollen received the, uh, honor, which was announced on Thursday. His novel The Destroyers featured a memorable pair of less-than-appealing analogies.

      1 min read

    • Article

      Mexican Gothic

      Jun 17, 2020

      RELEASED 30 JUNE 299 pages | Hardback/ebook Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia Publisher Del Rey There are shades of Daphne du Maurier in this twisty little gothic novel, which pits a young woman against the horrors of a crumbling ancestral home. Our heroin

      1 min read

    • Article

      Ulysses: Good or Bad?

      Feb 2, 2018

      Ulysses: Good or Bad?
      10 min read

    • Article

      Clarence Page: The Age-old Trick Of ‘Passing’: Fiction Writer The Latest To Be Disgraced By Lies About Heritage

      Mar 20, 2023

      I have never known a man who faked his own death, but I have known a man who faked his own life, then sadly failed to live long enough for us to talk about it. I’m talking about the late Hache Carrillo, a rising, award-winning literary talent whose r

      3 min read

    • Article

      FROM THE WD EDITORS: Our favourite Beginnings and Endings

      Jul 31, 2019

      The best beginnings toss readers into the whirlwind that is going to be your story right as the action begins, giving them no choice but to read further. The best endings stick with readers for years after they’ve closed the book. WD editors got toge

      1 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

    3.5/5

    3,730 ratings66 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 1/5
      I'm probably going to English major hell, but I could not get past the first half of this book.
    • 4/5
      Considered to be largely auto-biographical, James Joyce’s Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man follows the religious awakening of Stephen Dedalus. I won’t pretend that I understood all of the symbols of the book, but many critiques mention that, in Greek mythology, Daedalus is an architect and inventor who becomes trapped in a labyrinth of his own construction. The book deals mainly with Dedalus’ coming of age in Ireland and the seeds of his rebellion for all things Catholic and Irish.The most appealing thing about the book is its account of Dedalus’ inner musing on religion and philosophy. Bottom Line: Ulysses-light. Read this one if you have to get a Joyce on your bucket list.3 ½ bones!!!!!
    • 3/5
      Zwakke start, als een standaardcollegeroman, maar vanaf hoofdstuk 2 erg intrigerend door de breuk in constructie en stijl. Het hoofdpersonage is erg antipathiek en gecomplexeerd. Sterk autobiografisch. De donderpreekscene is subliem. Prachtige alternatieve Bildungsroman
    • 4/5
      The story follows Stephan Dedalus as he grows up in Ireland and eventually breaks away from Irish society. He abandons religion, Irish politics and much of what he’s been taught and what his family holds dear. As a teenager he’s tormented by Catholic guilt, especially concerning his sexual urges. He’s both fascinated and plagued by the thought of women. Stephen eventually goes his own way, to the point of leaving the country.Joyce’s writing style is dense and wordy. Attention must be paid to every word. It can be a chore at times, but the Stephen’s story is fascinating.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this book more than I did; it is really well written almost poetic like, but I never connected with the story. The main reason would be the heavy Catholic themes; I’m not a catholic (though if I was I would want to be a Jesuit too) and all the talk on Catholicism was lost on me. The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man is a semi autobiographical story about Stephen Dedalus (James Joyce’s literary alter ego) and his journey from a Jesuit university student to an artist; the book is richly detailed and a moving coming-of-age story.

      There is nothing wrong with this book, it was just that the major theme; Catholicism was a bit lost of me, but I really enjoyed the Literary arguments in this book. Especially the argument about who the greatest Poet of all times was; Tennyson or Byron
    • 1/5
      I don't usually bother to write bad reviews, but this book takes the cake for me. Reading that whole sermon about hell was already hell in and of itself, and that's only one of many things wrong with this book. Why must you torment me, Joyce? I only wanted to read a novel of yours, for heaven's sake. I'm surprised I had it in me to even finish it.
    • 5/5
      The classic Bildungsroman. Of course, I hate to use the term Bildungsroman cause you sound like a pompous ass. However, since I am in fact a pompous ass, it works out ok.
    • 3/5
      Not an easy read. It took Joyce 10 years to write, and it shows.The prose doesn't really flow. But there are other rewards. It's like Joyce is writing in the style of an impressionist painter - the objective is convey a general impression, a feeling, rather than to be explicit and direct. Once the reader accepts this contract with the author, things move along better!In the end I had a vivid picture of a difficult childhood, with a father falling apart with drink, a mother struggling with the loss of faith of her son, and the author gaining the confidence to rebel against conventional expectations.Good stuff, but just not an easy read!
    • 4/5
      I kind of doomed myself reading Ulysses first. I loved that book so much and I loved this book as well, but I can't seem to give anything else by James Joyce a full five star rating. This book was great, but not as great as Ulysses, I thought.

      What I liked better was the fact this was an easier read. It's only five chapters and less than 300 pages...unlike his other book. It's not that confusing to figure out either. I still like Ulysses better though. I felt like that was his magnum opus. However, this was his first novel.

      Some day I'll get around to reading Finnegans Wake. I've read the Dubliners too, which again I didn't care for as much because I read Ulysses first.
    • 4/5
      I'll tell the truth: Not all of this novel is exciting stuff. A lot of it is stream-of-consciousness writing that seems to meander about before getting to any kind of a point.But that's intentional. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical tale of a young Irish writer from his childhood to his early adult years in the early 20th century. This young man is working out his own belief system, his own philosophy and thoughts about religion and artistry, and rarely does such a thought process occur directly and expediently.Thus, the rambling text.But that's not to say there's nothing of import to be found here. If nothing else, this short novel shows the budding work of James Joyce as he builds his writing strengths and style that will eventually become more apparent in his longer, better knows works, Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake.
    • 3/5
      Formally brilliant, this exemplar of modernist prose is also tremendously dark, at times tedious, and at others esoteric.
    • 5/5
      I am usually not a fan of big celebrities reading the classics. They tend to make it about the performance and not the work. Not so with Colin Farrell's brilliant rendition of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Farrell's tone is deadpan and understated. His reading makes the work sound as if it were written yesterday. Extremely entertaining and equally sublime.
    • 2/5
      I'm going to admit that I got nothing out of this book. You are immediately thrown into the life of Stephen Dedalus and I really didn't care a bit. It's short, which is a blessing, but is full of long tirades/philosophical discussions of family, country, sex and attraction, and the church. There are moments of pretty writing, but I wasn't at all invested in the character before it was all too dramatic. I've read other books in this vein that I love - like Proust and Woolf and the part of Dorothy Richardson that I've read so far - but this I just couldn't connect with. Does not make me look forward to Ulysses, which I've always meant to read some day.
    • 3/5
      In Portrait, James Joyce dramatises incidents and periods from his own childhood and adolescence, and I don’t really know what to feel about this book. Parts of this were brilliant: the writing, the rhythm, the selection of words and images. This book is excellent at expressing the unscratchable ache that is growing pains: the death of a child’s naïve belief in Justice when unfair punishment is handed out; the intensity of adolescent frustrations, both sexual and religious; and the search for fundamental meaning in life. On the other hand, well, there were numerous occasions where I felt like rolling my eyes at the text, because I’ve read too many books about sensitive, intelligent, precious little main characters who struggle mightily against their schoolboy tormentors and an understimulating environment. I know that I can’t really hold that against this book -- the century of intervening literature that makes this kind of story feel so trite is not this book’s fault. But still: the story feels so trite in many places.This book left me feeling very ambiguous. For example: a very large section of this book is taken up by a series of fire-and-brimstone sermons delivered by a Jesuit hell-bent on frightening children into good old Catholic obedience through extensive and lascivious descriptions of torture. I can appreciate what Joyce was going for here, and it’s well done indeed: I can really taste the hunger for power, the emotional manipulation, the all-encompassing prison that this kind of mentality wants to enforce. But these sermons take up 12% of the text. 12%! That is way, way too long, and spoils the effect. Then there are later bits, where the main character expounds his views on beauty and art which serve as a replacement for his earlier religiosity, and which are intellectually impressive, but they are shoehorned in in the clumsiest of ways. Again, the effect is spoiled.Both of these -- the fire-and-brimstone, and the intellectualizing theories -- overstay their welcome and tip the balance from “Impressive, well done” into “Man, Joyce really loves hearing himself talk”. And self-important smugness is a sin I find hard to forgive. So yeah. Three stars?
    • 3/5
      An autobiographical novel, it is very conventional compared to where he was going for the rest of his life. He chooses his framework characters, the male parts of the Daedalus family, and thyeir relationships to the growing Stephen.
    • 4/5
      The rhythm and detail of Joyce is here as he captures the passion, extremism, and narcissism of the adolescent mind.
    • 3/5
      When I first started reading this book I really enjoyed it, I lost myself in the flow of the writing. However, towards the middle my interest was lost, not so due to the heavy prose about sinners & hell, although I did think it was overdone, it was more the long soliloquies about things such as the meaning of beauty or the works of classic writers & philosophers. They just seemed self indulgent & didn't bring anything to the story. What I enjoyed most about it was that its one of my favourite types of story - a coming of age tale. I do prefer more modern versions of this type though, mainly because I like to relate to the character & its hard to do that when there is such a gap in the times. I think this is a book you'd gain more from if you knew about the politics and Irish culture of that time. And a knowledge of religion would have helped too, as I'll readily claim ignorance to the different Christian denominations. Overall, long-winded but good.
    • 3/5
      This is a collection of philosophical arguments and theological sermons framed by the titular artist's school life. All in whole, interesting and introspective in parts, but completely forgettable.
    • 1/5
      All I can say is: Thank goodness that's over!! I'm sure I really didn't understand it, but it doesn't make me even halfway interested in trying to understand it. At least I know what it's about, and I can mark it off the list!1 like
    • 1/5
      Required reading, college. I have no interest in stream of consciousness writing. It drives me mad.
    • 4/5
      high school required
    • 5/5
      Excellent wording and so well written it is scary.
    • 3/5
      dude, i don't know. it's a classic. maybe listening to it on audiobook right as the semester starts wasn't the best idea.
    • 4/5
      This work shows Joyce's talent. It is well written, easy to follow and portrays characters that the reader can easily like. Man, did Joyce ever change when ego set in.
    • 3/5
      I feel like I don't really get Joyce and why he's so admired.
    • 4/5
      One of the most personal books in my reading: incarcerated as I was at the time in a Jesuit prep school, and not Roman Catholic, quite the lode.
    • 3/5
      A debut novel by Irish author, James Joyce, it is considered to be a Künstlerroman (artist growth to maturity) in a modernist style and is told in third person and free indirect speech. The subject matter addresses intellectual, religio-philosophical growth of Stephen Dedalus who eventually rebels against Catholic and Irish conventions. In this novel, the author uses the techniques that he more fully uses in Ulysses and Finnigans Wake. Stephen attends a Jesuit run school where he is bullied by the other students. His father's debts interrupt his education but then he attends college on scholarship. Stephen’s name and character represents James Joyce the author and Daedalus from Greek mythology. Overall the story was okay. It was quick, I didn’t mind the style but it didn’t make me anymore eager to tackle Ulysses and Finnigans Wake. The narrator spoke with an Irish accent and did a good job with the reading of the story.
    • 4/5
      It seems to dwell a little bit on the whole church scene. And the other thing is that it's better to say only the interesting things.Also too much damn politics. All that, and that it's really too boring to criticize properly. (7/10)
    • 4/5
      John Lee does a marvelous narration of this semi-autobiographical novel.
    • 5/5
      My all time, hands down, favorite book. The classic coming of age tale of Stephen Dedalus in late 19th, early 20th century Dublin is the golden stadard of wordsmanship. A Portrait is challenging but rewarding with pleanty of depth but more accessible than some of Joyce's later works.