Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. James Joyce
  4. /
  5. Joyce’s Works
  6. /
  7. Ulysses (1922)
  8. /
  9. James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Law
  10. /
  11. 1. James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Law: Introduction

1. James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Law: Introduction

UB Law｜April 15 to May 18, 2025｜with paintings by Aidan Hickey

On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the Zurich James Joyce Foundation presented an exhibition on the manifold facets of the law and its relation to Joyce and Ulysses.

The exhibition space (see Exhibition Gallery).

The Author, the Book, and Its Content

The texts presented in this exhibition pertained to one of the following three levels:

  • The Law in James Joyce’s Life
  • The Law, Censorship, and Ulysses
  • The Law in the Novel Ulysses

Curated by Zurich James Joyce Foundation: Martin Mühlheim, Frances Ilmberger & Ursula Zeller, with additional input by Natasha Mendoza

Paintings by Aidan Hickey: A sequence of paintings accompanied the exhibition. The paintings follow the order of the 18 chapters of Ulysses.

In collaboration with UB Law | University Library Zurich | UZH Exhibition Management: Frank Weinmann

With thanks to our sponsors: Max Geilinger-Stiftung | 5Gambit Disputes | Wenger Plattner | UZH Alumni | Irish Embassy, Switzerland | Stadt Zürich | Kanton Zürich

Table of Contents

  1. James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Law: Introduction
  2. Obscenity and Literature: Legal Context around 1915
  3. James, Nora, and the “Konkubinatsverbot”
  4. Adultery as a Crime of Property
  5. Doubt as a Virtue
  6. Joyce Files a Lawsuit in Zurich
  7. Dying Without a Safety Net
  8. Ulysses Outlawed in the U.S.
  9. A Victory for Free Speech
  10. Suicide as a Crime
  11. A Difficult Return: Stricter Migration Laws
  12. A Defamation Case Against the BBC
One of the paintings by Aidan Hickey that accompanied the exhibit.
Max Geilinger-Stiftung | 5Gambit Disputes | Wenger Plattner | UZH Alumni | Irish Embassy, Switzerland | Stadt Zürich | Kanton Zürich