So he reads to us
from something called Ulysses
Many's the moment I spent pondering this mysterious phrase, sitting cross-legged with my back up against the stretched-out gold and brown fabric covering the speakers on my parents' curvy maple stereo cabinet. The record I was listening to is familiar to countless folks around my age and featured on the cover a photograph of a laughing, fat-faced fellow in horn-rimmed spectacles, up to his chin in walnuts. If you're on a PC, you can listen to the actual song here; it's number seven*. (I also recommend "Rat Fink" – not the hit single, but still my personal favorite on the whole album. See how precocious I was in my taste for the esoteric?)Aaaaanyway. This song has been rolling around in my head again ever since I laid out an announcement for our local Irish Pub's upcoming celebration of Bloomsday, which is happening this year on June 19. Every year I seem to hear about this event only after it's already happened, and then I make a note to myself that by next year's Bloomsday, I will have read Ulysses – for sure this time! And then I promptly forget all about my vow until the next day-after-Bloomsday.
But not this year! This year I finally remembered in time to do it, though I will admit I haven't given myself much time. My copy of the infamous tome is over 1000 pages long, which means I'll have to read 76 pages a day to finish it before the Bloomsday-a-thon. Normally that would be no sweat for me, because I'm a very fast and motivated reader. This is not fast reading, though.
Still, after six weeks of fretting and fussing over my health, I'm looking forward to a new challenge. I invite anyone who's interested to join me – 76 pages a day or bust! Let the reading begin!
* The full quote goes like this (it's a humorous song on the theme of "a letter from camp"): "And the head coach [pause] wants no sissies [pause] so he reads to us from something called Ulysses." As a kid, I thought he was saying, "So he reads to us from (something) All You Lissies." I had no idea what a "lissy" was ... and I still don't know how reading Ulysses would prevent a kid from turning into a sissy. Though based on what little of it I have read, I think I get the general idea.Labels: reading
6 Comments:
I remember first hearing that song on the Dr. Demento show sometime in the early 80's. I think I actually have it on a cassette that I taped from one of his show's.
Love that Allan Sherman!
And good luck readin!
My brain would implode if I had to read Ulysses right now, although I've always sort of thought I would one day read it.
Anyway, good luck. I really like the cover of the Vintage paperback version--I'm afraid that's as far as I'm going to get.
I loved that album! Do Mom & Dad still have it? I'd do the Ulysses read-a-thon with you, but I'm trying to re-read Walden for the first time since my freshman year. I'll try to get it finished by the 19th, though, if that counts.
Thanks for reminding me about Bloomsday. In NYC, there's an annual marathon reading of the thing (well, they don't read ALL of it, just selections, which still makes the event about 12 hours long). Fiona somebody--some Irish actress--always reads the big juicy Molly Bloom section which closes the book.
I'm glad you'll be celebrating it!
And what's more, any one if the world (with a high-speed internet connection) can listen to it on-line: http://www.symphonyspace.org/genres/eventPage.php?genreId=4&eventId=621
Oh, wow, Tina -- you're my hero! Please also enjoy the read, in addition to accomplishing it.
I would join you, except that my one and only New Year's resolution this year was actually to finish that "new" Don Quixote translation from a couple of years ago, which I quit after about 100 pages. It's also a 1,000-pager, but unlike you, I'm a slooow reader, even of something as fast-paced and straightforward as Quixote. Ulysses, when I finally get to it, is going to take me a decade, I swear.
But you wouldn't mind being my inspiration anyway, would you?
I had a Brit Lit. professor in college who swore he read the entire thing in a real-time, 24 hour bout. He said he managed to complete it and then promptly threw up.
Post a Comment
<< Home