Joyce at the Clarence

Part one of our mission for August has been accomplished, with our tracking down the memorial plaque to James Joyce on a house in Clarence Road, Bognor Regis, where he stayed for a couple of months in the summer of 1923, a couple of months which saw the genesis of 'Finnegans Wake'.

Hopefully tomorrow, we will manage part two which is to track down the Earwicker of the graveyard at Sidlesham, the Earwicker who gave his name to the hero of the famous novel. Perhaps also Messrs. Glue, Gravy, Boniface, Anker, and Northeast, all residents of the same graveyard.

With thanks to Peter Chrisp of reference 1, from where I also learn that we owe the important word 'quark' to Joyce's famous song about seagulls, said to have been inspired by the herring gulls of Bognor. Gulls who were in turn inspired by massive helpings of chips supplied by the swarms of careless holiday makers.

Reference 1: http://peterchrisp.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/james-joyce-in-bognor-regis.html. A blog which is still alive and well.