Read by Donal Donnelly, the actor who played Freddy Malins in John Huston’s The Dead, this uncut version of Ulysses is put out by Recorded Books under the authorization of the James Joyce estate. According to Alex McAlmon, who highly recommends them, they “apparently they did a fair amount of research before recording the book (compiling pronunciation guides, etc.).” The work spans 30 cassettes. Kyle Engen kindly sent the following review:
My hopes were high for this production, and I was not disappointed. This is the real thing, complete and compelling. Donal Donelly (who has also read Dubliners and Portrait) gives a thorough and beautiful reading. The pace is slow and while this seemed unnecessary during some of the more opaque passages, it was a blessing when things get strange (i.e. Stephen’s beach walk during the “Proteus” episode, or the trip to Nighttown in “Circe.”) The reading of the final chapter by Miriam Healy-Louie was captivating. Her charming voice and flawless interpretation kept me riveted. At times I remained in my car listening for several minutes because I didn’t want to leave her.
The text used for this recording is the Gabler corrected version but I detected none of the comma controversy. I am not that close to the earlier edition, though there were a couple of passages in the “Nestor” chapter where I felt lines were misread.
In addition the production of this audio book was excellent. I listen to a lot of audio books on my commute and none have been made as well as Ulysses. I didn’t hear a single page turn, and the tape breaks fell almost without exception at the conclusion of a paragraph or chapter. Even Molly’s soliloquy was broken along shifts in her thought.
Get this tape, from Recorded Books, from the library, wherever, and add it to your Joyce collection. It is a remarkable achievement.
