Joyce & Paris: In his own words

In a letter to his future bride on the 29th of August 1904 Joyce wrote to Nora Barnacle the reason why he left Ireland. In his letter he stated the following : I did not agree with the social order of the time, or Christianity having left the Catholic Church six years before. Ireland was a home that came with certain values governed by religious doctrines. He also mentioned the lack of a connection with his fifteen siblings, with the exception of one brother. He felt guilt and anger about the death of his mother from cancer, but he insisted that her death was caused by his father's mistreatment of her; she was a victim of the social order and he hated that which caused her death.

Nora Barnacle did not become his wife until 1931, but they had a rendezvous as early as June 1904. This letter was written shortly after this event; Joyce corresponded with Nora quite frequently. Nora is a name which is associated with the authors of Anglo-Irish literature, and the literature of the late 19th - 20th century. Henrik Isben was an influence of Beckett, who also knew Joyce's Nora and the protagonist;s name in A Doll's House was also Nora.