Finnegans Wake Reading Groups

On site: Thursdays, 7-8.30 pm, Zurich James Joyce Foundation, Augustinergasse 9, 8001 Zurich, hosted by Fritz Senn.

Online: Tuesdays, 7-8.30 pm, via Zoom, hosted by Dirk Vanderbeke. More information can be found at Tuesdayswake.

Updates about the Thursday group's progress will be given on this site (see below). A selection of the collages featuring on this bookmark can be found here. 

New readers are always welcome! There is no need to sign up. Simply drop in and bring your own copy of the book, if you have one. 

The Friends of the Foundation sponsor the reading groups so that they can be held free of charge. To contact them please email friends@joycefoundation.ch.

If you are interested in the Ulysses readings held at the Zurich Foundation, more information can be found here or by visiting their website.

Thursday, 3 July 2025 (284.4)

The last reading stopped at: “The family umbroglia." (284.4)

Thursday, 26 June 2025 (283.4)

The last reading stopped at: “quims.” (283.4)

One favourite passage was:

“il folsoletto nel falsoletto col fazzolotto dal fuzzolezzo” (281.18)

Thursday, 19 June 2025 (281.13)

The last reading stopped at: “aux jours des batailles.” (281.13)

One favourite passage was:

“Also Spuke Zerothruster.” (281.L6)

Thursday, 12 June 2025 (280.8)

The last reading stopped at: “twelvemonthsminding?” (280.8)

Thursday, 5 June 2025 (279 F1.11)

The last reading stopped at: “Then rue.”(279 F1.11)

A favourite passage was:

“Ah ah athclete, blest your bally bathfeet!” (279.7)

Thursday, 22 May 2025 (278.12)

Please note: There will be no reading on Thursday, 29 May (Ascension Day). The next reading will take place on 5 June 2025.

The last reading stopped at: “handmake of the load.” (278.12)

One favourite passage was:

“The stanidsglass effect” (277.F5)

Thursday, 15 May 2025 (277)

The last reading stopped at: “(Mogoul!)” (277.3)

Thursday, 8 May 2025 (276.3)

The last reading stopped mid-sentence at: “backslapping gladhander” (276.3)

One favourite passage was:

With thanks to Pascal Ihle for suggesting this collage

“’phone number 17:69” (275.16)

Thursday, 24 April 2025 (275.2)

Please note: There will be no reading on 1 May 2025 (Labour Day). The next reading will take place on Thursday, 8 May.

The last reading stopped at: “hicohaired culoteer” (275.2)

One favourite passage was:

“As Shakefork might pitch it.” (274L4)

Thursday, 1 May 2025

Please note: There will be no reading on 1 May 2025 (labour day). The next reading will take place on Thursday, 8 May.

Thursday, 17 April 2025 (273.16)

The last reading stopped at: “pig in a pew” (273.16)

A couple of favourite passages were:

The association with a gravestone was Pascal Ihle’s. I’m taking the liberty of borrowing, if not downright stealing it here.

Shake eternity and lick creation (273.F1)

Hoppity Huneye (273.F3)

Thursday, 10 April 2024 (271.29)

Note: The reading on Thu, 17 April 2025 will go ahead as usual.

The last reading stopped at: “Gough gave” (271.29)

The phrase “so bright as Mutua of your mirror holds her candle to your caudle” (271.9) — and given the context of a woman's getting married — brought to mind the Halloween belief depicted below.

Image source: HipPostcard

Image source: The Week

Image source: Etsy

Image source: Reacing Nellie Bly

More such illustrations, if more were wanted, can be found here.

Thursday, 4 April 2025 (271.3)

The last reading stopped mid-sentence at: “Sire Jeallyous Seizer” (271.3)

27 March 2025 (270.1)

The last reading stopped at: postconditional future. (270.1)

One favourite passage was:

“Is love worse living?” (269.F1)

Thursday, 20 March 2025 (268.15)

The last reading stopped at: “booksyful stew” (268.15) 

A favourite passage was:

The law of the jungerl. (268.F3)

Thursday, 13 March 2025 (267.11)

The last reading stopped at: “spilleth peas” (267.11)

One favourite passage was:

“parapets all peripateting” (266.5)

Thursday, 6 March 2025 (266.2)

The last reading stopped at: “makes hobbyhodge happy in his hole.” (266.2)

One favourite passage was:

“a selfreizing flower” (265.7)

Thursday, 27 February, 2025 (264.25)

The last reading stopped at: “vale of Spring.” (264.25)

One favourite passage was:

“Startnaked and bonedstiff.” (264.F1)

Thursday, 20 February 2025 (263.27)

The last reading stopped at: “original sun.” (263.27)

One favourite passage was:

“excellent inkbottle authority” (263.23)

Thursday, 13 February 2025 (262.19)

The last reading stopped at: “Sow byg eat.” (262.19)

A favourite passage was:

“Apis amat aram. Luna legit librum. Pulla petit pascua.” (262F5)

Thursday, 6 February 2025 (261.13)

The last reading stopped mid-paragraph at: “mosoleum” (261.13)

One favourite passage was:

“trumpeted by prawns” (261.6)

Thursday, 30 February 2025 (259.10)

The last reading reached the end of II.1 (book II, chapter 1): “Mummum.” (259.10)

A couple of favourite lines were:

1

“Loud, heap miseries upon us yet entwine our arts with laughters low!” (259.7)

__________________________________________________

2

“Orbiter onswers: lots lives lost. Fionia is fed up with Fidge Fudgesons. Sealand snorres. Rendningrocks roguesreckning reigns. Gwds with gurs are gttrdmmrng. Hlls vlls. The timid hearts of words all exeomnosunt.” (257.35)

With thanks to Pascal Ihle

Thursday, 23 January 2025 (257.30)

The last reading stopped at: “Upploud!” (257.30)

One favourite was:

Lukkedoerendunandurraskewdylooshoofermoyportertooryzooysphalnabortansporthaokansakroidverjkapakkapuk (257.7)

Thursday, 16 January 2025 (256.36)

The last reading stopped at: “gueroligue stings the air” (256.36).

The “cutletsized consort” drew considerable attention. It seems only right to give her a stage here, too. Find the usual collage, followed by a few AI-generated images based on the consort’s measurements as indicated at 255.31.

Collage

AI was given the following measurements: weight 10 st 10 lbs, height 5 ft 5 inches, chest 37 inches, waist 29, hips 37, thighs 23, calves 14, shoes 9.

AI-generated

AI-generated

AI-generated

AI-generated

Thursday, 9 January 2025 (255.26)

The last reading stopped at: “a wife’s wit better” (255.26)

Holiday Break

Please note that the reading group will take a break over the holidays. The first reading in 2025 will be held on Thursday, 9 January. 

The administration office of the Zurich James Joyce Foundation will reopen on Monday, 6 January.

Thursday, 19 December 2024 (254.28)

The last reading stopped at: “Merodach!” (254.28)

Among the favourite passages were:

“those three stout sweynhearts” (254.2)

“heavy Humph with airy Nan” (254.14)

Thursday, 12 December 2024 (253.32)

The last reading stopped at: “Lucanhof” (253.32)

One favourite passage was:

“symethew, sammarc, selluc and singin” (253.12)

Thursday, 5 December 2024 (252.28)

The last reading stopped at: “Charley, you’re my darwing!” (252.28)

The Zurich James Joyce Foundation had a visit from Paul Ingendaay, who was preparing a podcast about its two reading groups for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Listen to the podcast, featuring an interview with Fritz Senn and with Martin Mühlheim, here or by clicking the “Bücher” icon below (provided by reading group member and journalist Pascal Ihle).

Another contribution by Pacal is the following entertaining image, created with the help of AI to illustrate a favourite passage from the recent pages read in the group.

“Feeling dank.” (252.9)

Thursday, 28 November 2024 (251.24)

The last reading stopped at: “book of the dark” (251.24)

With thanks to Rahel Huwyler

Thursday, 21 November 2024 (250.17)

The last reading stopped at: “breath must leap no more” (250.17). 

One favourite passage was the following riddle: 

“A window, a hedge, a prong, a hand, an eye, a sign, a head and keep your other augur on her paypaypay” (249.16).

As Ursula Zeller pointed out, Fritz Senn has written a short piece about this passage: The riddle “is easily solved”, he writes, “when the words are recognised as the names of Hebrew, or Phoenician, letters” (5)

Fritz Senn’s essay can be downloaded here. 

Senn, Fritz. “Pat As Ah Be Seated”. A Wake Newslitter: Studies in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, n.s. 1, iii (June 1964): 5-7.

Digitized article courtesy of Ian Gunn, JoyceTools, 
https://www.riverrun.org.uk/joycetools.html (covered by Creative Commons).

Thursday, 7 November 2024 (248.28)

Please note that there will be no reading on  14 November. The next reading will take place on Thursday, 21 November.

The last reading stopped at: “a way as any” (248.28)

A couple of favourite passages were:

Split his hvide (247.31)

“Split the hvide” (247.31)

“his eyetrompit” (247.32)

Thursday, 31 October 2024 (247.30)

The last reading stopped at: “a smuggler for lifer.” (247.30)

A couple of favourite passages were:

“Bettlimbraves” (246.33)

“Teapotty. Teapotty.” (247.15

Thursday, 24 October 2024 (246.32)

The last reading stopped at: “Jour d’Anno.” (246.32)

One favourite passage was:

“gegifting her with his painapple” (246.28)

Thursday, 17 October 2024 (245.35)

The last reading stopped at: “one's the number” (245.35).

One favourite passage was:

“pebble infinibility” (245.12)

Thursday, 10 October 2024 (244.22)

The last reading stopped at: “Far wol!” (244.22)

One favourite passage was:

“Monsaigneur Rabbinsohn Crucis” (2443.31)

Thursday, 3 October 2024 (243.8)

The last reading stopped at: “pur war” (243.8)

One favourite passage was:

“fiuming at the mouth” (243.2)

Thursday, 26 September 2024 (241.35)

The last reading stopped at: “his sodalites.” (241.35)

One favourite passage was:

“the ambersandalled” (241.15)

Thursday, 19 September 2024 (241.1)

The last reading stopped at: “potatowards” (241.1)

One favourite passage was:

“parleyglutton” (240.27)

Thursday, 12 September 2024 (240.4)

The last reading stopped at: “his grave.” (240.4)

One favourite passage was:

“pleasekindly communicake” (239.1)

Thursday, 5 September 2024 (238.21)

The last reading stopped at: “colp her!” (238.21)

One favourite passage was:

“sainted youngling” (237.29)

Thursday, 29 August 2024 (237.21)

The last reading stopped at: “our names” (237.21)

Thursday, 22 August 2024 (236.18)

The last reading covered a jovial and colourful passage. It stopped at: “Anneliuia!” (236.18)

Thursday, 15 August 2024 (235.16)

The last reading stopped at: “in the nebohood” (235.16)

No readings 18 July - 8 August 2024

Please note that the Zurich Foundation is taking a break over the summer: There will be no Finnegans Wake readings from 18 July - 8 August. The first reading after the break will be held on 15 August.

Visitors are still welcome to drop in or to use the library throughout the summer (opening hours: 10 am - 5 pm).

Thursday, 11 July 2024 (234.15)

The last reading stopped mid-sentence at: “zvesdals priestessd” (234.15)

One favourite passage was:

“the kerl he left behind him?” (234.7)