June 16, or “Bloomsday,” is celebrated around the world as the day Leopold Bloom made his “odyssey” through Dublin in James Joyce’s modernist masterpiece Ulysses. Home to the only complete manuscript for the novel written in Joyce’s own hand, the Rosenbach uses its Joyce-related collections to mount exhibitions and programs, including one of the world’s largest Bloomsday celebrations.

Over the course of two decades, the Rosenbach’s version of Bloomsday has grown from a small gathering of dozens to a weeklong community festival celebrated by thousands of people. These days, the festival culminates on Bloomsday - our largest public program of the year - during which we see people of all ages, from a variety of backgrounds, come together to listen to live readings from the novel and to be inspired by literature.

Thanks to the support of Rosenbach members and contributions from those in our community, we have been able to maintain Bloomsday as a free event for 20 years.

Get Involved

• Attend Bloomsday in person
• Help us get the word out and stay up-to-date by liking us on Face Book or following us on Twitter
• Make a gift to help us keep Bloomsday a free event for everyone

Resources

• Bloomsday Central: use this tool to find Bloomsday events to attend, Joyce-related places to visit, and as a portal to the world of Ulysses online
• Need help getting to the end of the book? Our full-year Ulysses Reading Group. We typically announce registration via our e-news in August. Click here to sign up for the Rosenbach’s e-news
• Why Read Ulysses?: An Essay by Vicki Mahaffey, Professor of English Literature, University of Illinois
• Ulysses Plot Summary. James Joyce’s Ulysses, published in 1922, remains one of the most challenging and rewarding works of English literature
• The Rosenbach Manuscript of Ulysses FAQ