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One of the most famous persons associated with Trieste is the writer James Joyce, as every visitor with a guide book will soon find out. Besides his native Dublin and the city of Zurich, where he spent his last years and where he passed away, Trieste has been one of the 3 important places in his life. In the then very cosmopolitan town he was teaching at the Berlitz School on and off between 1904 and 1920. In all these three cities can be seen today bronze statues of the unusual writer. So in Earl Street in the centre of Dublin, in Zurich above his grave in the Fluntern cemetery and in Trieste he can be seen walking on the Ponte Rosso (Red Bridge) over the Canal Grande. According to his passport data, James Joyce was 5 ft 10 (1.78m) tall, so this looks like a life-size statue. It had been erected in 2004, exactly 100 years after the arrival in Trieste of the then unknown 22 years old Irishman together with his love Nora Barnacle, his muse and later his wife. The statue was made by Trieste sculptor Nino Spagnoli, whose work can be seen all over the city. Besides the statue of James Joyce he also created statues of the other famous Trieste writers Italo Svevo and Umberto Saba. His best known work though must be the statue of the 'Mula de Trieste', 'mula' being a local word for girl.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
24 Helpful votes1 Repost
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This bronze, life-size statue of Irish writer James Joyce stands on the Rosso Bridge, which crosses Trieste's Grand Canal. Unlike the big canal in Venice, this one is fairly narrow so the bridge is a short span. The statue, sculpted by Nino Spagnoli, was erected here in 2004 to commemorate Joyce's first arrival in the city 100 years before. I sought out the sculpture because of my interest in authors and literature. During the 11 years that Joyce lived in Trieste on and off, he taught English and started to write "Ulysses." The work has been placed next to the bridge railing and depicts the author walking, attired in a hat, shirt with bow tie and rumpled suit. His left hand has been shoved into his pants' pocket and he carries a book under his right arm. Both his nose and right shoulder and arm have been rubbed to a golden sheen by passersby. A plaque appears on the sidewalk giving his name and life dates (1882-1941). Based on the photos that I've seen of Joyce, I think this statue is a good likeness of him and worth a quick look, because of this important author's ties to Trieste.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
1 Helpful vote
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One of the various statues you will see in the city. This one is on a bridge over the grand channel.
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Date of experience: August 2020
3 Helpful votes
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The statue of the famous writer, poet, teacher, and many more, awaits you on Ponte Rosso. Make a short stop to share a photo with him!
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Date of experience: December 2019
2 Helpful votes
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What a surprise to bump into James Joyce wending his way across the Ponte Rosso! Trieste has a number of interesting statues and this is one of the three literary figures depicted in this way, the others being Italo Svevo and Umberto Saba. Worth meeting!
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Date of experience: September 2019
3 Helpful votes
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