Bloomsday at the Rosenbach

Date: 6/16/2011 – 6/16/2011

This year marks the 107th anniversary of Leopold Bloom’s fictional journey through the streets of Dublin, as imagined in James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses, with the Rosenbach Museum’s day-long celebration of Bloomsday.

The Rosenbach Museum and Library, home to Joyce’s original Ulysses manuscript, hosts the free festivities along the block of Delancy Place for seven straight hours, as notable Philadelphians and Joyce enthusiasts bring the novel to life with lectures, readings and reenactments.

You see, this year the worlds of the living and the dead collide on Bloomsday, the only international holiday that recognizes one specific work of art. From the brilliant short story “The Dead” to Leopold Bloom’s wanderings through the underworlds of the city streets, Joyce saw Dublin as a place populated by ghosts.

The event includes a reading of Ulysses (yes, all 1,000+ pages!) from the steps of the Rosenbach, led by notable Philadelphians.

The celebration is free and open to everyone. For a complete listing of Bloomsday events, visit the Rosenbach Museum and Library.