4/5 stars (%78/100)
I've read the book many years ago in Turkish. I had to read it again because I am taking an art course. I was surprised by the fact that I've missed many important points in my first reading.
You'll realize that the book is extremely autobiographical when you read about Joyce's life. Therefore, in a sense, this is a book that explains how Joyce himself became an artist. As it is quite obvious from the title that the book is essentially about being an artist.
Our protagonist is an Irish boy named Stephen Dedalus. (Yes, the great craftsman Daedalus and the father of Icarus.) The book seems to be a bildungsroman too. We meet a very young Stephen at the beginning of the book and in the end, he is an adult. The time in the book is somewhat vague but you can understand that it covers about 15 years. (5-year-old Stephen to 20ish)
Yes, the book is about being an artist or what it means to be an artist. However, it is also about growing up and discovering an identity for yourself. Being in a household where everyone is Catholic, (especially Stephen's mother) Stephen is highly "interested" in religion. The biggest obstacle for Stephen on his way to being an artist is religion. Chapter 3, especially, deals with Stephen's ideas about religion and art.
Overall, it is a great book discovering your true self and chasing your dreams. If the thing you really want to do requires sacrifices, then you have to do it. Bravo, James Joyce!
