The recent 17th International James Joyce Symposium was, for the first time in its history, held in London. More than 350 delegates made their way to Goldsmiths College to attend what turned out to be an enjoyable affair. As always, some high-profile figures attended and the demographic bias leaned towards US delegates, whose appetite for all things Joycean remains unquenched. But others came from as far afield as New Zealand, Japan, Romania - and closer to home - Ireland.
Encapsulated under the term "The Right to Write", this year's symposium encouraged papers on conspicuous issues, such as censorship and law, and the not-so-conspicuous, in particular: the unwritten, paternity, publishing Joycean criticism, and computer technology. Debates concerned history, modernism, exile, migration, post-colonialism and transgression were well represented.
There was also support for further debate on the questions of justice and ethics, with a number of delegates arguing for a reading of Joyce in terms of the manner in which he "brings to book" colonial, historical, personal, and social injustice.
With more than 200 papers, not including workshops and readings, discussed during the symposium, even the most vigorous Joycean would have done well to have attended a quarter of what was on offer. A number of those I attended were memorable, including Margot Norris's discussion of "Ivy Day in the Committee Room" and Anne Fogarty's examination of Joyce, memory, and Parnell. These papers were a reminder of that which what is occasionally forgotten by delegates the world over, namely: papers are there not only to be read but, crucially, there to be listened to. The eclectic mix of people made for a stimulating academic programme which ranged from papers given by leading Joycean scholars to theses from postgraduate students.
But it wasn't all work and no play. Almost 300 Joyceans wended their way to the National Film Theatre where the director of Nora, Pat Murphy, introduced a screening of the film. Delegates also watched an energising performance of Hamlet at the Globe Theatre with the theatre's artistic director, Mark Rylance, not only taking the lead role, but also fielding questions from Joyceans following the performance.
THE proceedings ended with a reception hosted by the Irish Ambassador, Ted Barrington who recounted that, after reading the first line of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ("Once upon a time and a very good time it was . . ."), he knew Joyce was the writer for him. The reception and the banquet that followed also brought to a close the tenure of Zack Bowen as president of the International James Joyce Foundation as he handed over the reins , in a modest speech, to Rosa Maria Bosinelli from the University of Bologna.
2002 will see the 18th International James Joyce Symposium journey to Trieste before returning to Dublin in 2004.
Anthony Downey sat on the 17th International James Joyce Symposium host committee
Further details of the I.J.J. Symposium are at: www.gold.ac.uk/joyce2000