James Joyce’s Ulysses is a real novel that the historical figure of Sylvia Beach actually published in 1922. It is an episodic retelling of the Greek epic The Odyssey and takes place over a single day in Dublin; it is told in real time and is set on June 16, 1922. “Bloomsday” (named for the novel’s protagonist, Leopold Bloom) is still celebrated today in both Dublin and Paris as a way to honor Joyce’s legacy. As The Paris Bookseller relates, the real-life novel was itself very contentious when it was first released, and even today, it remains a challenging and polarizing read.

In The Paris Bookseller, Joyce’s novel takes on mythic proportions as it becomes the practical and philosophical epicenter of Sylvia’s life. Initially, she approaches the novel as an appreciative reader and finds it to be utterly fascinating. Ulysses approaches the human condition in a way that no other novel has ever done before, and Sylvia becomes entranced by its tones of honesty and insight. For this reason, she throws herself into her mission to bring the novel to a wider audience. Joyce’s legal battle begins at a time when Sylvia is searching for her own purpose.