The Hollywood Walk of Fame: A Literary Adventure
When walking down the streets of Los Angeles, it’s impossible to miss the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame. From Marilyn Monroe to Michael Jackson, hundreds of celebrities have been honored with a star on this historic sidewalk. But beyond the glitz and glamour lies a literary adventure waiting to be uncovered.
One such literary figure who is immortalized on the Walk of Fame is none other than James Joyce himself. Yes, you read that right – James Joyce has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It may come as a surprise to many that an Irish novelist who died in 1941 would be honored among movie stars and musicians in Hollywood, but there’s actually quite an interesting story behind how he ended up there.
Joyce was not only a writer but also an accomplished singer and performer during his youth. In fact, he even gave singing lessons for some extra cash while living in Paris during the 1920s. It was through one of his students, Sylvia Beach, that Joyce became acquainted with another American expatriate living in Paris – Harry Crosby.
Crosby was something of a wild child and had inherited a fortune from his family’s publishing business. He used this money to fund his extravagant lifestyle which included drinking heavily and engaging in multiple affairs with both men and women (including Beach herself). Despite their differences in personality and lifestyle choices, Crosby and Joyce formed an unlikely friendship over their shared passion for literature.
In 1929, Crosby decided to launch his own publishing company called Black Sun Press which would specialize in printing limited edition books by avant-garde writers like D.H Lawrence and Ernest Hemingway. One day while brainstorming ideas for new titles with Joyce at his side, Crosby suggested they create a book together featuring erotic poetry written by Joyce alongside illustrations by artist John Buckland Wright.
The book was titled “Tales Told of Shem and Shaun” and was printed in a limited run of 100 copies. It caused quite a stir in the literary world for its explicit content and was even banned in some countries. However, it also caught the attention of Hollywood movie producers who saw an opportunity to capitalize on Joyce’s fame by adapting his works into feature films.
One such producer was John Ford who was interested in making a film based on Joyce’s novel “Ulysses”. He reached out to Crosby who acted as an intermediary between Ford and Joyce (who had never been to America before). After much negotiation, it was agreed that Joyce would come to Hollywood where he would be paid $10,000 upfront plus royalties for the rights to adapt “Ulysses” into a film.
Joyce arrived in California with his wife Nora Barnacle in July 1939. They stayed at the famous Chateau Marmont Hotel where they were greeted by paparazzi eager to capture photos of the reclusive author. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned for Joyce during his time in Hollywood. The adaptation of “Ulysses” fell through due to censorship concerns and he ended up spending most of his time cooped up inside his hotel room due to health problems.
Despite these setbacks, Joyce still managed to leave his mark on Hollywood – quite literally. In 1960, nearly two decades after his death, he was posthumously awarded a star on the Walk of Fame thanks largely to the efforts of fellow writer Anthony Burgess (“A Clockwork Orange”). Burgess had become fascinated with Joyce’s life story while writing about him for an encyclopedia entry and felt that he deserved recognition alongside other literary giants like Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe.
Today visitors can find James Joyce’s star located at 6141 Hollywood Boulevard just outside The Pig n’ Whistle restaurant which has been serving customers since 1927. While it may seem odd that an Irish writer who never set foot in Hollywood is honored among movie stars and musicians, it serves as a reminder of the impact Joyce’s work has had on popular culture. As Burgess himself once said: “If Ulysses isn’t worth the Nobel Prize then I don’t know what is.”