James Joyce, one of Ireland’s most feted sons, died British after twice spurning the chance of becoming an Irish citizen.
The author, who is commemorated in Dublin with a bronze statue, a literary centre and an annual celebration of his most famous novel, had two opportunities to take up an Irish passport after 1922 when the creation of the Irish Free State paved the way for the current republic.
Instead, according to a new biography, letters by Joyce show he twice chose to keep his British passport when it would have been easier to get an Irish one. The choice appears to have reflected his dismay at the country of his birth.
Born in Dublin in 1882, Joyce finally left Ireland at the age of