‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’ is an Autobiographical Novel

Abstract

James Joyce was born on the second February,1882 in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were John Stanislaus and Mary Jane Murray. Before the birth of James, their family fell into debts and bankruptcy. James had problems with his health especially eye-sight. Still he possessed an attractive appearance, intelligence and good singing voice. He got his education at Clongowes Wood and Belvedere College in Dublin, under Jesuit teachers and higher studies at university college. During these years, Joyce’s family had been into financial crisis. At the age of eighteen, Joyce became interested in the works of Henrik Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright and poet.

            Joyce wrote a review of Ibsen’s play ‘When We Dead Awaken’. This article got published in the London Fortnightly Review. His article got wide acceptance from in and out his family. He studied Norwegian, Italian and French languages at the University. He wrote a play in the model of Ibsen’s play which was a failure. Then he compiled a short prose. composition called ‘Epiphanies’. Later, he wrote the novels, ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’ in 1916, Ulysses in 1922, Dubliners in 1914 etc.. He followed the narrative method of ‘stream of consciousness’ in his novels.James Joyce died on the 13^th of January 1941 in Switzerland.