The Backgrounds of Ulysses

1. The Artist’s Own Body 

When the British Broadcasting Company was preparing to present a long program on Joyce, its representatives went to Dublin and approached Dr. Richard Best, sometime director of the National Library, to ask him to participate in a radio interview. “What makes you come to me?” he asked. “What makes you think I have any connection with this man Joyce?” “But you can’t deny your connection,” said the men of the B.B.C. “After all, you’re a character in Ulysses.” Best drew himself up and retorted, “I am not a character in fiction. I am a living being.”