the dedalus poems


the dedalus poems


Openings-closings Press have just published a very limited edition of poems called The Dedalus Poems. The poems, inspired by James Joyce's Ulysses, are from a longer sequence which is set on the 17th June 1904, the day after Bloomsday. The main focus of the work, as the title suggests, is on Stephen rather than Bloom. The book also plays around with developments in literature and technology since Joyce's time and explores ideas of where Joyce’s innovations might take us in the era of computers, the internet and big data. In the longer work, the ‘Oxen of the Sun’ section is written in the styles of novels published since 1922 (when Ulysses was published) and there are Twitter comments from contemporary Dubliners in my version of the ‘Wandering Rocks’ section.

poem from the 'Cyclops' page of The Dedalus Poems


I first read Ulysses when I was 17 and the book has shaped my thinking on literature and my approach to writing ever since. Joycean prose cares little for where its borders break with poetry (or drama, history, news or any other kind of register for that matter) and I have extended this approach into my writing of The Dedalus Poems.  This made it difficult to pick out the sections which might be ‘poems’ as distinct entities from the fluid compounded prose of other sections. In the end I have decided to present here the visual and sound pieces from my novel, both of which have either lineation or a distinct shape on the page.

Taking the cue from the numerous schematas on Ulysses there are notes before each section of poems.

I am delighted to be part of The Images to Accompany James Joyce's Ulysses series, which features some of my favourite artists including Tom Phillips and John Furnival.

The Dedalus Poems is published in an edition of 100, 26 of which are hardback and signed (priced at £50) and 74 are paperback (priced at £30). Books can be ordered from moxham.ulyssesart@gmail.com


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