The Nederland Community Library is hosting a very special program on Wednesday, February 2, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the printing of James Joyce’s Ulysses, what many consider to be the most important and influential book ever written.

On February 2, 1922, the diminutive bookstore owner of Shakespeare & Co in Paris and first- time publisher Sylvia Beach knocked on James Joyce’s door. It was his 40th birthday, and she handed him the first two copies of his massive tome Ulysses, which had taken him nearly a decade to write in the midst of extreme illness and poverty. The first few chapters of the story had already been published in The Little Review in the United States, and had been banned for obscenity, and the publisher, Margaret Anderson, jailed.

The publication of Ulysses would redefine the meaning of obscenity and publishing laws in the United States and the United Kingdom for all time. It was finally admitted to this country legally in 1933.

The program at the Nederland Library is headlined by Reed Bye, a well-known Boulder Joyce scholar, and will be accompanied by a short film of an interview with Beach, out-loud readings from Ulysses by participants, and a short presentation on the uphill battle of bringing Ulysses to the public.

It will be held at the Nederland Community Library, 200 Highway 72 in Nederland, Colorado, from 6 to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

To register for the program (required) visit Nedlib.org, click “In Person” and go to Classes & Programs to sign up. Call 303- 258-1101 with questions, or write JTaylor@nedlib.org.