Dubliners

James Joyce · 1882–1941 · Ireland

Why it matters

Fifteen stories of paralysis in Joyce's 'dear dirty Dublin,' each ending in a quiet epiphany, a term he gave to fiction. 'The Dead' is routinely called the finest short story in English. The accessible door into Joyce.

At a glance

Restrained, precise prose; difficulty is in interpreting quiet epiphanies rather than syntax.