How I came to record Finnegans Wake in Hawaii. ( Mylie Blooms A Lilikoi *)
I was doing yoga one day on Kauai, and the thought popped into my head : When exactly was Finnegans Wake published?
I looked it up, and it said May 4, 1939. I then looked up when Beltane was in 1939 (Beltane being both my and Joyce's Conception Date.) Sure enough, Lunar Beltane was May 4, 1939!
Wow. Just as Ulysses was published on his (our) birth date (February 2- Imbolc/Candlemas), he chose his Conception date to publish Finnegans Wake!
Back to that day on Kauai. I quickly did the math, and realized that since this was was April, 2014, in two weeks would be the 75th Anniversary of Finnnegans Wake's publication!
Not knowing others around the world were well aware of that, (I live on an island), I announced that to honor the event, I would record the entire book starting May 4, and continue over the next months.
I did. It is available on the website. FinnegansWakeUpWithCandle.com
I now live on the island of Kauai in Hawaii and hold 21 day long Immersions into the entire Finnegans Wake.
*Mylie is a super-fragrant flower of Hawaii (as well as what Odysseus used with Circe)
Lilikoi is a Hawaiian fruit, known as Passion Fruit.
ABOUT CANDLE AND JAMES JOYCE
James Joyce and I have long been connected, beginning with my birth three weeks after his death, on his birthday, February 2, 1940. My name, Candle, comes from this day, the Feast Of Candlemas. I don't claim to be an avatar of James Joyce, but I am deeply connected. So much, people gave me the nickname JJ. (We work from the same part of The Field.)
Like Joyce, I studied with the Jesuits, at Canisius College. This is where I first encountered Finnegans Wake. I dove into it and have remained immersed for over 50 years!
I have been reading Finnegans Wake aloud to individuals and groups for decades, now reaching a world audience via the Audiobook. Many people have been deeply moved, in a mind-shifting way, by the experience
I decided to record the whole book and share it with the world, because I feel it needs to be heard, not just read.
To download the complete unabridged 30 hour Audiobook or to set up an in-person Reading, or to come to Kauai for an Intensive, or to just talk story, contact me at FinnegansWakeUpWithCandle.com