“Brune in Brume”

Abstract This article examines Giordano Bruno’s legacy in James Joyce’s works. Even though Joyce only possessed only one book by Bruno, research has shown how extensive his knowledge of the Italian heretic’s thought was. The essay provides insights into the depths of Joyce’s devotion to Bruno, exemplified by his decision to move to Rome in 1906, the city where Bruno had been burned at stake by the church in 1600. The importance of Bruno for Joyce goes beyond the impact that ideas such as the coincidence of the contraries had on him, as far as the structure of his works is concerned. Joyce literally retraced, and followed on, Bruno’s steps. He saw the Nolan as both a predecessor and a paradigmatic example from an existential point of view. He was also aware of the fact that the struggle Bruno had fought in his life against institutions of power had to be carried on, and he did so. The cryptic ways in which he alluded to Bruno’s revolutionary philosophy, from the early critical writings and Stephen Hero down to Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, show how enduring and revealing his legacy was for Joyce.