Collection of Books and Documents by Irish Author James Joyce donated to the University

on Feb 03, 2022

James Joyce’s grandson and his wife donated a collection of books and documents written by James Joyce to the University of Reading. The precious collection also includes a telegram sent by Samuel Beckett gifted to James Joyce on his 49th birthday, 91 years ago.

The letter, in which the Waiting for Godot tells his special friend: “Teems of times and happy returns. Beckett”, is a part of this collection and it is extremely valuable. The donation also includes a photograph from the wedding of Stephen James Joyce and Solange, James’ grandson and his wife, where awkward-looking Beckett is standing as a best man. The donation was announced to mark the centenary of the publication in Paris of Joyce’s seminal novel Ulysses, as well as the 140th anniversary of Joyce’s birth.

“The unusual birthday telegram from Beckett to Joyce says much about them as friends. Short and sweet, the playful language hints at a shared sense of humor and shows the respect Beckett had for the writer who greatly influenced his own writing style,” said Dr. Mark Nixon, an English Literature Researcher at the University of Reading and Co-Director of its Beckett International Foundation.

“The new collection silver plates the relationship we knew existed between Beckett and Joyce, with their personal correspondence shedding fresh light on the closeness between the two. Such gems among the collection will prove invaluable to those studying these two historic writers.” The university is already home to the Samuel Beckett Collection. Edward Beckett, nephew of Samuel Beckett said “wonderful to have the Beckett and Joyce archives together under the same roof”. “The two writers were close friends and their estates and families had also stayed close. That it was possible to unite their literary archives is an achievement to applaud,” he added.
Almost 900 letters to and from Joyce are included in the collection, the majority of them unpublished, including telegrams from HG Wells, Samuel Beckett, and around 100 from Joyce’s supporter Harriet Shaw Weaver. The University of Reading intends to make the archive publicly available to scholars. “James Joyce was a writer who transformed our ideas about the world, about creativity, and about humanity. His letters, manuscripts, and artifacts are rightly treasured but we are taking this collection not just to protect it but to share it,” said Professor Robert Van de Noort, vice-chancellor of the institution.