(AGENPARL) – Tue 01 April 2025 https://jamesjoyce.ie/?mc_cid=d037fc00bb&mc_eid=UNIQID
** Long-Lost Manuscript by James Joyce Discovered
Get Your Copy at the James Joyce Centre Today!
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The James Joyce Centre is delighted to announce that we have uncovered a long-lost manuscript by James Joyce.
During routine maintenance of our archives, we discovered a dusty notebook tucked away in a box labelled “Miscellaneous.” Scholars have examined the notebook and confirmed that it is Joyce’s handwriting.
To our amazement, the book is not a long, experimental novel. Rather, it is a cookbook with Joyce’s favourite recipes entitled Finnegan Bakes.
The 300-page text is a collection of recipes Joyce is believed to have collected over the years living in Ireland and continental Europe. Experts believe Joyce wrote the cookbook between 1923 to 1925 while living in Paris, where he frequented cafés and fine dining.
“Joyce was totally exhausted after writing Ulysses,” says Dr. Josh Q. Newman of the James Joyce Centre. “It seems as though he decided to take a break from literary modernism and write something the whole family could enjoy.”
Most of the manuscript is written in a simple, straightforward style, considerably different than the dense prose from his other works such as A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners. Take, for instance, his recipe for fish tacos:
“After marinating the tilapia for 4 hours, you are going to pan fry it on medium heat for 20 minutes until it turns brown. If the fillets still have their skins, don’t worry. Just make sure to flip the fillets evenly every 5 minutes.”
“Now comes the mojito sauce,” he continues. “Again, I keep it simple. The sauce is a mix of sour cream, mayo, lime juice, and a splash of cilantro. Some cooks prefer sage but guess what: cilantro will be our little secret.”
The book’s recipes are drawn from Joyce’s travels in his lifetime, from Dublin coddle from his youth and a succulent cevapcici dish he encountered in Trieste to the light, airy temptations of Luxemburgerli macaroons from Zurich. He also shows considerable knowledge of non-European cuisines, such as Kansas City brisket and Sichuan mapo tofu.
“I am astounded that Joyce knew what a chimichanga was,” said Dr. Newman, “let alone that he created a recipe for one in under 30 minutes.”
The manuscript is divided into chapters with headings, some of which appear to be inspired by characters and locations from his other work:
-Molly Bloom’s Morning Scones: “Yes I said yes I will have another”
-Stately, Plump Veal Cutlets: “Crisped to a golden hue, like the sun upon the Martello tower”
-Clontarf Chicken Enchiladas: “Where Dublin Bay meets Santa Fe”
-Portobello Mushroom Crêpes: “It will knock you Dedalus”
Although most of the manuscript is written in an accessible manner, scholars are fascinated by the book’s final chapter, an epic 40-page meditation on the act of preparing chicken soup, written in an esoteric style reminiscent of his last novel Finnegans Wake. The passage, which contains only a few paragraphs and little punctuation but features 17 different languages, has yet to be fully understood. Experts believe it contains a secret formula for the perfect broth.
Finnegans Bake has yet to be published but it is already causing a stir, with Dublin’s top chefs racing to recreate Joyce’s dishes. A limited edition cookbook published by Penguin is forthcoming, with a foreword by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who has called the book “equal parts genius and absolute gibberish.”
The James Joyce Centre has gained exclusive rights to the book and will offer it for sale in our giftshop.
“We want the world to see that Joyce was not just a genius writer and one of the greatest voices of the 20th century,” said Dr. Newman, “but also a pretty good cook. There is great appetite for Joyce around the world and we are grateful for this gift he has bestowed upon us years after his passing. You can have it all for the low, low price of €250.”
More Information (https://jamesjoyce.ie/long-lost-manuscript-by-james-joyce/?mc_cid=d037fc00bb&mc_eid=UNIQID)
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