Thursday, 25 September 2025 (294.20)

The last reading stopped at: “precincts of lydias” (294.20)

One favourite passage was:

With thanks to Pascal Ihle for sending the place and for picking a favourite.

“murphy come, murphy go, murphy plant, murphy grow” (293.9)

Thursday, 18 September 2025 (292.23)

The last reading stopped at: “soulard's schwearmood” (292.23)

With thanks to Pascal Ihle for the place.

Thursday, 11 September 2025 (cancelled)

The reading of Thursday, 11 September 2025 was cancelled due to (possibly somewhat noisy) celebrations at the Strauhof Museum in the same building. This year, the museum is celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Congratulations to the Strauhof Museum!

Thursday, 4 September 2025 (291.25)

The last reading stopped at: “(tuff, tuff, que tu es pitre!)” (291.25)

With thanks to Patrick Granger for sending the place.

Thursday, 28 August 2025 (290.17)

The last reading stopped mid-sentence at: “in nowtime” (290.17)

One favourite passage was:

With thanks to Patrick Granger for sending the place.

“ere beam slewed cable” (289.9)

Thursday, 21 August 2025 (288.28)

The last reading stopped mid-sentence at: “Wickerworks” (288.28)

One favourite passage was:

“hexenshoes” (288.12)

Thursday, 14 August 2025 (287.19)

The last reading stopped at: “a balbose boy, he too” (287.19)

One favourite passage was:

“Will you walk into my wavetrap? said the spiter to the shy.” (287.F1)

Summer Break

Please note that the reading group is taking a break over the summer. The next reading will be held on Thursday, 14 August.

Thursday, 17 Junly 2025 (286.18)

The last reading stopped at: “and turn over.” (286.18)

On his way home, Ron Ewart had a hunch about the maths on p. 285 (from the Finnish numerals, followed by the English “outher words”, ending with “bullyclavers”, 285.17-26):

McHugh works out the Finnish maths for us (giving the total as 479,001,600) and also clarifies each individual English number (arriving at the same total). As I was thinking about this, I doubted that these would just be random numbers. So, I checked out the population figures for Dublin 1930 on my ever-helpful computer and found this: “In 1930, Dublin's population was approximately (eh?) 468,103”. This makes sense to me, with “bullyclavers” then being simply “Dubliners”.

Neither McHugh nor Fweet point this out. Good work, Ron! Thanks for sharing this.

On a far more accessible note, here's an illustration for one of the group's favourite passages:

“The balbearians” (285.L7)

Thursday, 10 July 2025 (285.8)

The last reading stopped mid-sentence at: “house blong him,” (285.8)

One favourite phrase was:

“the zeroic couplet” (284.10)

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)