Explore UAB

Libraries

banner about 1920x180
James Joyce

One of the greatest figures in modernist literature, Irish author James Joyce (1882-1941) used the avant-garde “stream of consciousness” method in such great literary works as Ulysses (1922), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), and Finnegan’s Wake (1939). Less known is that from his mid-20s on, Joyce also suffered grievously from eye disease and other ailments, the cause of which may have been either syphilis or some form of inflammatory rheumatic arthritis. An ongoing debate continues as scholars investigate Joyce’s medical history and pick apart Ulysses for references to venereal disease.

Featuring medical and health books from the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library, plus works by and about Joyce from Mervyn H. Sterne Library, a new exhibit on the first floor of Sterne explores the medical case of James Joyce, the moral and public health concerns over syphilis during his time, and how these are reflected in his monumental work, Ulysses.

For more information on this display, contact Peggy Balch at pbalch@uab.edu or 205-934-4475, or Kelly Schiff at kschiff@uab.edu or 205-934-6357.

Mervyn H. Sterne Library

917 13th St S
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-6364

Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences

1700 University Blvd
Birmingham, AL

(205) 975-4821

Reynolds-Finley Historical Library

1700 University Blvd - 3rd Floor
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-4475

Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences

1700 University Blvd - 3rd Floor
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-4475

Lister Hill Library at University Hospital

615 18th Street S - P235 West Pavilion
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-2275

801 Building

801 5th Ave South
Room 1111
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-5432

J. Ellis Sparks Medical Library

301 Governors Drive SE - 3rd Floor
Huntsville, AL 35801

(256) 551-4405

Back to Top