1n6xZiV

[Aetat. 47-5° ] J O Y C E 617English literature,' and James Stephens, to whom Joyce had by now formallyproposed that he continue the writing of Finnegans Wake if Joyceshould lose his sight or heart for the job, promised full help but added,'You will do it,' and said, 'Anna Livia Plurabelle is the greatest proseever written by a man.' 28In August 1929 the Joyces went to Bristol, perhaps because Henry IIpresented Dublin as a colony to the Bristolmen,* then went back to London.They paid Claud Sykes a visit at Letchworth, and Joyce was glad tohear of a local resident named Gale who was like Earwicker; he succeededin obtaining a photograph of him. At Drinkwater's suggestion, heconsulted a London ophthalmologist, Dr. Euston. He found time also torecord the last pages of Anna Livia for Ogden at the Orthological Institute;the pages had been prepared for him in half-inch letters, but thelight in the studio was so weak that Joyce still could not read them. Hehad therefore to be prompted in a whisper throughout, his achievementbeing, as Ogden said, all the more remarkable.Joyce took the occasion also to meet George Moore, with whom hehad one of those contests of politeness in which he took a curious pleasure.As Moore wrote John Eglinton, 'He [Joyce] was distinguished,courteous, respectful, and I was the same. He seemed anxious to accordme the first place. I demurred, and declared him first in Europe. Weagreed that our careers were not altogether dissimilar. . . .' Moore said,i have been only a revolutionary, while you have been a heroic revolutionary,for you had no money.' Joyce said, 'Paris has played an equalpart in our lives,' 29and referred to their mutual friend Dujardin, whofigures largely in Moore's Confessions of a Young Man. Moore asked howthe action or the thought of Ulysses was advanced by associating theminor acts of Bloom with the acts of Ulysses, and Joyce answered, i seeI am on my defense.' Moore apologized, and then Joyce said it wouldplease him if Moore would accept a copy of the French translation ofUlysses. Moore answered, i shall be delighted to accept any book youchoose to send me, but I hope you don't mind my reminding you that Iand the second:Plurabelle on her prose,Seashell ebb music wayriver she flows.Humptydump Dublin squeaks through his norse,Humptydump Dublin hath a horrible vorseAnd with all his kinks englishPlus his irismanx broguesHumptydump Dublin's grandada of all rogues.He was a little annoyed when the publicity department of Faber & Faber used them onlyon a mimeographed publicity release, to which they prefixed a note: 'The Sales department,puzzled as such departments are wont to be, have sought some light on the twoJames Joyce contributions to Criterion Miscellany. Below the explanations offered arepassed on that you may be able to derive similar enlightenment.''Finnegans Wake (545).