If you are one of the many to have never split the spine of the infamously difficult and playful novel Finnegans Wake, to have never lifted James Joyce’s dead/living hulk of poetry and prose to your nose for fear of being overwhelmed, then some aid has come to your side. The good folks at Waywords and Meansigns — who just last year released the first edition of this audio series — have returned with their second edition of Recreating Finnegans Wake [In Its Whole Wholume], once again providing an audio accompaniment to the notorious novel.
Finnegans Wake remains a book to be read aloud, to be listened to. Its lyrical language demands an oral version. And so here it is, once again, presented without an emery board to smooth out the rawness of existence, dreamt or lived. Featuring a range of diverse artists such as Brian Hall, Conspirators Of Pleasure, David Kahne, Kio Griffith, Maharadja Sweets, Mary Lorson, and Neil Campbell, this massive undertaking will provide an endless supply of head scratches and cheers alike to its undertakers.
Tomorrow, on Joyce’s own birthday, the entirety of Recreating Finnegans Wake [In Its Whole Wholume] will be available (free, nonetheless), but in the meantime, enjoy six exclusive excerpts displaying the promise of enjoyment the 30+ hours of beautiful, descriptive language and avant music has to offer.