Reading Ulysses

A cousin of mine gifted me a copy of "Ulysses" recently. I have wanted to read it for a long time and it appeared to me to be a sign from God that now is the right time to do it. Why else would it have come into my life suddenly? Of course, as my sister said, “Dude, it is because you asked her to buy it for you". But, I don’t think she gets these things. I asked for it almost three year back. I definitely prefer to look at it as divine intervention asking me to read the book.

Anyway, here I was, the proud owner of a brand new copy of the book and it literally called out to me saying, “ Read me, read me”. And I did just that. First up, I would like to address the charge that it is an “unreadable” book. It is not unreadable. Not if you can read something that does not make any sense. I can read anything, whether it makes sense or not and so I have finished reading a third of the book. Once you learn to ignore what does not make sense and stick to what does, ok, I won’t go so far as to say that it becomes readable but it can be read. Working at current speed, I expect I can finish it in another 31.1 days. I would like to reserve any judgment before I actually finish reading it.

However, in the meanwhile, I do have a theory. A number of powerful literary critics came together on April 1st sometime in the 1920s. They decided to play a prank on lovers of literature. They had all received a copy of Ulysses to review, read 8 pages and promptly used it as a doorstopper. But, now they decide to promote it heavily. Fashionable readers worldwide bought the book eagerly, read 8 pages, used it as a doorstopper and spread the word that this was indeed a masterpiece as the critics has said.(Some hapless readers such as myself actually tried reading the book in its entirety and many, it is believed, swore off books for a lifetime and others turned into nihilists). However, the cult of Ulysses grew, as these cults are wont to. It gained a reputation as the finest work of literature of the 20th century. The original pranksters now all dead were nevertheless smug and satisfied (in hell) at the magnificent success of their prank.

And I am left counting down to 31.1 days.