This is a biography of Joyce for the general reader, using material about and by Joyce that has been available for the last two to three decades. James Joyce, arguably the most influential writer of any language in the 20th century, and certainly one of the major figures in world literature, led a fascinating life, and a triumphant and sad one, constantly battling with problems forced upon him as well as those created by him. The author argues that few artists have drawn so heavily on the fabric of their own lives in weaving their fiction. Morris Beja is the author of "Epiphany in the Modern Novel" and "Film and Literature".