Distant Music
Renowned singer Noel O'Grady recreates a moment from 'The Dead' by James Joyce in the spot where it occurred, James Joyces House of the Dead. A beautiful and haunting short story of love, jealousy, Dublin hospitality and mortality - The Dead is considered a masterpiece of the short story. For more of Noel's music visit www.noelogrady.com
More about this story
'The Dead' was the last story written by Joyce for his short story collection, Dubliners, published in 1914. Joyce was apparently inspired by a bad experience in Rome around christmas, in which he was turned out of his apartment and left to eat his christmas dinner in a small garret with his family. With an uncharacteristic longing for Dublin, he composed the story later partly as an homage to Irish hospitality. In this respect it's one of the few positive portraits of the city in the collection, otherwise centred on the paralysis of Dublin life. Many elements of the story echo Joyce's life with Nora Barnacle. Gabriel is said to be based on Joyce's father. And Gretta's memory of a young man giving his life for her is echoed in Nora Barnacle's experience in Galway as a young girl.
