80 days left to Groundhog Day

If Phileas Fogg could travel around the world in 80 days then maybe I can finish Ulysses in the 80 days until the centenary celebration on Groundhog Day 2022 but to be honest I think I would prefer an hot-air balloon ride and global adventure Jules Verne style.

Verne died in France in 1905 but he left us many remarkable stories that are still shared to this day.

Jules Verne's work was incredibly futuristic at times and it is hard to believe that he published Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864 and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas in 1870.

Did he inspire the future use of submarines with his novels for example?

He is the most widely translated French author and I believe the second most translated author of all times, sometimes referred to as the father of science fiction.

In fact for the 100 year anniversary of his death, France declared 2005 Jules Verne Year.

I have 80 days to try and finish Ulysses by the centenary celebrations but should I slow down or speed up? Am I getting through pages too quickly and missing some of the story?

As I near page 250 in my book, I know I have probably read 500 pages as I have constantly had to re-read a page or two and have had to place a post-it at the last line I have read to stop me from re-reading everything twice where I left my book-marker.

Knowing Dublin like I do, Ulysses is probably easier for me to read than for people from other countries but I wonder if I am rushing the book and should invest in an annotated version instead. I feel 100 years after the book was written that we have the time to enjoy his references and while I post pictures on Instagram, others have digital resources and podcasts and I will try and focus a little on an annotated version, a podcast, and a website where you can read Ulysses with annotated references to click on.

Supported by

UNESCO City of Literature