Dead

James Joyce (1882-1941) was an Irish writer who spent most of his adult life outside Ireland, yet wrote almost exclusively about Dublin. Dubliners, a collection of fifteen short stories, was published in 1914, after years of difficulty with printers and publishers. The Dead is its final story and the longest. It is generally regarded as one of the great achievements of the form.

The story is set at an annual Christmas party held by two elderly sisters and their niece, and it follows one guest through the evening: the dances and songs, the toasts and conversations, and the journey home. Joyce paints a precise and affectionate picture of Dublin society, and he uses small moments to build up a deeper emotional pattern. Music and memory play important roles, and so does the weather. The ending is among the best known in modern fiction, and it is better discovered in the hearing than described in advance.

Although the story belongs to the early part of Joyce's career, before the experiments of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, it shows his gift for combining everyday detail with symbolic resonance. It also gives a strong sense of the Irish world he left behind. The Dead was later adapted for the screen, and it has been the subject of a great deal of critical writing.

This LibriVox recording is read by the volunteer known as iremonger. It lasts about an hour and a half and is divided into three parts. Listening to the story aloud brings out its rhythms and its humour, and it makes an ideal introduction to the author.