A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist, short story writer, poet, teacher, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is considered one of the most influential and important writers of the twentieth century. Joyce is best known for Ulysses (1922), a historical work in which episodes of Homer's epic are paralleled in a variety of literary styles, the most famous stream of consciousness. Other famous works include the short story collection Dublin Residents (1914), the novels Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Vegans Week (1939). His other publications include three books of poetry, plays, published letters and occasional journalism. Joyce was born in Dublin to a middle-class family. A brilliant student, he attended briefly the O'Connell School run by the Christian Brothers before excelling at the Jesuit Klonjois and Belvedere Schools, despite the chaotic family life imposed by his father's unexpected financial resources. He went to attend University College Dublin.