'Ulysses of Istanbul': Celebrating James Joyce's masterpiece
Cover of the James Joyce's "Ulysses." (Wikipedia Photo)


As the cultural capital of Türkiye, Istanbul gears up to commemorate the 100th anniversary of James Joyce's iconic work, "Ulysses," with a series of captivating "Ulysses of Istanbul" events, showcasing the city's vibrant literary scene and paying homage to the literary masterpiece.

Panel discussions, film screenings, street art, and children’s activities focused on the idea of co-existence in contemporary Europe will be held in Istanbul, said Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts Publishing in a statement on Friday.

Istanbul is one of 18 European cities hosting events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce's iconic novel Ulysses, as part of the "Ulysses: European Odyssey 2022-2024" project.

Ulysses of Istanbul events will begin at Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts Publishing which first introduced the novel into Turkish with Nevzat Erkmen's translation.

The first program will be a series of talks titled "Is It Possible To Be Together?", which will be held on June 5-6. On June 8-10, free movie screenings will be held at Yapı Kredi Culture and Arts, located in the city’s teeming Beyoğlu District, and on June 10, performance and children's workshops will be held.

The Ulysses European Odyssey project, inspired by the novel's eighteen chapters, takes place in 18 cities, including Athens, Paris, Budapest, Berlin, Copenhagen, Istanbul and Dublin.

The project explores today's European map by focusing on current issues in each city. Each city was assigned a chapter from the novel and a theme related to that chapter, the statement added.

Istanbul was given the 10th episode titled "Wandering Rocks" and the theme "co-existence."

All the events are free of charge and open to the public.

Dubbed one of the most important works of modernist literature, Joyce's iconic 1922 novel Ulysses chronicles a single day of protagonist Leopold Bloom in Dublin on June 16, 1904.