Bloomsday rooted in novel

Perhaps one of the most explosive novels in the history of the 20th century was James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” The first serialization appeared in 1918. It is considered to be the most influential modernist novel ever. It was banned for its obscenity. It had to be smuggled into the U.S.

On May 1, my fellow Spokanites engaged in the 40th annual running of the Bloomsday race. It is quite a spectacle. But few will even have a clue as to why it’s called “Bloomsday.” They think it has something to do with the gorgeous flowers that bloom here every year.

The central character of “Ulysses” is a drunken debaucher named Leopold Bloom. It takes place in a single day in Dublin. In 1998, the American publishing firm Modern Library ranked “Ulysses” first on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

The founder of the Spokane Bloomsday run, Don Kardong, chose to honor it with the name of the novel because both navigate a city in one day. To me, it’s still a 40-year-old metaphor that still works.

Stevan Alburty

Liberty Lake