Shem the Penman Sings Again (NR)

synopsis

This film deals with the actual and much fabled friendship of James Joyce and John McCormack. The world-renowned writer and the extraordinary tenor first met in 1904 when Joyce still had hopes of becoming a professional singer himself. They reconnected in Paris in the 1920's and Joyce was to use his first hand knowledge of McCormack to create the character of Shaun the Post in his famously ‘unreadable' final novel, Finnegans Wake. As Joyce struggled with the book, he portrayed himself in it as Shaun's lowly twin brother, Shem.