It's the 125th birthday of James Joyce today, and also the 85th anniversary of the publishing of Ulysses. Joyce towers over modern Irish writers in the same way that Shakespeare towers over English playwrights, and Tolkien over fantasy writers. It is hard to escape the orbit of someone who was so fiercely talented and inventive (and also quite a character in his own right, well aware of his own genius etc). There are other great Irish writers of course, but not many of them regularly receive the "greatest novel ever written" accolade from critics. No wonder Roddy Doyle got so pissed off with him eventually.
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James Joyce has his fans and the critics have their favourite work. I’m sure people have their reasons. It can be frustrating dealing with a mountain of a reputation like this, and easy to drown in the lake of argument, but to anyone of a Daoist, Buddhist, and Stoic persuasion, it’s all stuff and nonsense.
Mountains rise and fall, lakes emerge and disappear. Against this changing landscape it is better the sage remain alert and relaxed. Overcoming the conditioning that tugs us left and right with dreams and fears is difficult, but a mindful attitude can overcome this, and assist better vision and creativity.
It’s the same with AAA games versus restricted budgets, as it is with the highs of excitement versus the lows of depression. These things may all appear different but underneath they’re all the same. Brushing this confusion aside may help develop a more simple, clear, and powerful perspective. Persistence helps.
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