'I regret to see that my book has turned out un fiasco solenne' James Joyce's disillusion with the publication of Dubliners in 1914 was the result of ten years battling with publishers, resisting their demands to remove swear words, real place names and much else, including two entire stories. Although only 24 when he signed his first publishing contract for the book, Joyce already knew its worth: to alter it in any way would 'retard the course of civilisation in Ireland'. Joyce's aim was to tell the truth - to create a work of art that would reflect life in Ireland at the turn of the last century and by rejecting euphemism, reveal to the Irish the unromantic reality the recognition of which would lead to the spiritual liberation of the country. Each of the fifteen stories offers a glimpse of the lives of ordinary Dubliners - a death, an encounter, an opportunity not taken, a memory rekindled - and collectively they paint a portrait of a nation.

詹姆斯·乔伊斯(James Joyce，1882—1941)，爱尔兰作家、诗人。1882年2月2日出生于都柏林，1941年1月13日卒于瑞士苏黎世。他是意识流文学的开山鼻祖，其长篇小说《尤利西斯》成为意识流文学的代表作，是二十世纪最伟大的小说之一。他一生颠沛流离，辗转于的里雅斯特、罗马、巴黎等地，多以教授英语和为报刊撰稿糊口，又饱受眼疾折磨，到晚年几乎完全失明。但他对文学矢志不渝，勤奋写作，终成一代巨匠。