Dublin: Joyce, Lemon Soap, World Famous Doughnuts

Welcome, fellow travelers, fellow curiosity club members, and fellow explorers of the world. This is my very first post of "Miles with Margaret." I am excited to invite you on this journey with me, exploring the great country of Ireland, and focusing on the literary aspects of many Irish writers!

The photo attached above is myself in the great city of Dublin, pictured with a statue of none other than the renowned Irish author James Joyce, who is most famously known for his work Dubliners. At the time this picture was taken I had only known the information stated thus far; that he was an Irish author and had successful, well known works. I thought this was the end of my journey with Joyce, and became distracted with the famous Dublin portal which sits next to the statue. However, the next morning me and one of my fellow travelers found ourselves upon the pharmacy that Joyce had frequently visited in Dublin. The owner of the store talked our ear off upon the history of Joyce, his legacy, and the famous lemon soap (if you know you know.) He also mentioned Oscar Wilde, who grew up around the pharmacy as well, and who was also a very influential author of this time. I immediately feel more confident in my recommendation of delving into the history of Joyce and his influence.

We talked about Joyce yet again about him in my Literary Ireland class this morning, and how he had a strong influence on the other authors around him. Joyce is considered one of the major figures of literary Modernism and is known as a commanding influence on novelists of the 20th century. In the class I am enrolled in, we will be reading Dubliners, so I will check back and let all of you know if it lives up to the hype!

Also I tried some delicious doughnuts in Dublin, however that will have to wait until next time, so stay tuned for my food dedicated post!