James Joyce ramble
Encyclopedia
The James Joyce ramble is a 10-kilometer race held in Dedham, Massachusetts
, a suburb of Boston
. The race is held each year in April, following soon after the Boston Marathon
.
The race is named for Irish writer James Joyce
, and actors are hired to recite the works of Joyce along the course as runners and walkers pass by.
and found the book as difficult as running a road race. The first race was held on March 26, 1984, with a total of 244 runners. Starting in 1989, the race began to have a human rights focus as well, raising money for a different human rights charity each year.
area after the Boston Marathon
.
. Participants venture down high street and Highland Street as they approach Noble and Greenough School
. The runners will soon encounter Dedham Square, the home to many local businesses, the Dedham Historical Society, and the Norfolk Superior Court. The participants then pass the Fairbanks House on the corner of Whiting Avenue and East Street. Built in 1637 this house is the oldest wood-framed house still standing in North America
. Turning on to East St., top runners will return to the Endicott Estate
to cross the finish line approximately a half hour after the start of the race.
works along the racecourse. When the race was initiated in the 1980s, there was approximately one reader per mile. Now, there are as many as 35 readers each year, spread out along the course. Six Joycean works have been selected, and the story being told changes each of the six miles of the race. The works, in the order in which they are read are: Finnegans Wake
, Ulysses
, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
, Exiles
, Dubliners
, and The Dead
.
) and participants collect pledges for the cancer institute. Top fundraising participants receive gift certificates to local merchants.
, with short dashes for younger children, and laps around the perimeter of the estate for older children. The Dedham Youth Commission sponsors the race and each participant receives a goody bag, with a variety of items, including a book.
of New England
, Dedham Savings Bank, FableVision
, Harpoon Brewery
, and National Amusements
.
, Xu Wenli, Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi
, and many others. Since the start of the Iraq War, the Ramble has turned their human rights focus to the support of journalists, including the late Daniel Pearl
of The Wall Street Journal
and Jill Carroll
of the Christian Science Monitor. The organizers of the James Joyce Ramble have made great strides to help protect the First Amendment
rights of journalists all over the world. Besides fighting for human rights, all the financial proceeds from the race, Take a Walk and the Children’s Ramble are donated to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
, a suburb of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The race is held each year in April, following soon after the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
.
The race is named for Irish writer James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, and actors are hired to recite the works of Joyce along the course as runners and walkers pass by.
Who organizes the race
The race was created in 1984, by founder Martin Casimir Hanley of Dedham. At the time, he was reading Joyce’s comic novel Finnegans WakeFinnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
and found the book as difficult as running a road race. The first race was held on March 26, 1984, with a total of 244 runners. Starting in 1989, the race began to have a human rights focus as well, raising money for a different human rights charity each year.
Who participates in the race
The race now draws over 2,000 runners each year, many of whom stick around the BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area after the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
.
The course of the race
The 10K race loops around Dedham, passing many historical landmarks. The race starts and finishes at the historic Endicott EstateEndicott Estate
The Endicott Estate is a mansion built in the nineteenth century, located at 656 East Street in Dedham, Massachusetts “situated on a 15-acre panorama of lush green lawn that is punctuated by stately elm, spruce and weeping willow trees” . It was built by Henry Bradford Endicott, founder of the...
. Participants venture down high street and Highland Street as they approach Noble and Greenough School
Noble and Greenough School
The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is located on a campus in Dedham, Massachusetts. The current enrollment of 550 students includes a balance of boys and girls, of whom...
. The runners will soon encounter Dedham Square, the home to many local businesses, the Dedham Historical Society, and the Norfolk Superior Court. The participants then pass the Fairbanks House on the corner of Whiting Avenue and East Street. Built in 1637 this house is the oldest wood-framed house still standing in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Turning on to East St., top runners will return to the Endicott Estate
Endicott Estate
The Endicott Estate is a mansion built in the nineteenth century, located at 656 East Street in Dedham, Massachusetts “situated on a 15-acre panorama of lush green lawn that is punctuated by stately elm, spruce and weeping willow trees” . It was built by Henry Bradford Endicott, founder of the...
to cross the finish line approximately a half hour after the start of the race.
Joyce readings along the course
Costumed actors read James JoyceJames Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
works along the racecourse. When the race was initiated in the 1980s, there was approximately one reader per mile. Now, there are as many as 35 readers each year, spread out along the course. Six Joycean works have been selected, and the story being told changes each of the six miles of the race. The works, in the order in which they are read are: Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
, Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Joyce, first serialised in the magazine The Egoist from 1914 to 1915, and published first in book format in 1916 by B. W. Huebsch, New York. The first English edition was published by the Egoist Press in February 1917...
, Exiles
Exiles (play)
Exiles is a play by James Joyce, who is principally remembered for his novels. It draws on the story of "The Dead", the final short story in Joyce's first major work, Dubliners, and was rejected by W. B. Yeats for production by the Abbey Theatre...
, Dubliners
Dubliners
Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. They were meant to be a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century....
, and The Dead
The Dead (short story)
"The Dead" is the final short story in the 1914 collection Dubliners by James Joyce. It is the longest story in the collection and is often considered the best of Joyce's shorter works. At 15,672 words it has also been considered a novella....
.
Take A Walk
In conjunction with the James Joyce Ramble, there is an event called “Take a Walk” to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The walk has the same starting line as the race (Endicott EstateEndicott Estate
The Endicott Estate is a mansion built in the nineteenth century, located at 656 East Street in Dedham, Massachusetts “situated on a 15-acre panorama of lush green lawn that is punctuated by stately elm, spruce and weeping willow trees” . It was built by Henry Bradford Endicott, founder of the...
) and participants collect pledges for the cancer institute. Top fundraising participants receive gift certificates to local merchants.
The North Star Children’s Ramble
A literary-themed race for children ages 4–12 on the same day as the James Joyce Ramble. The race is held at the Endicott EstateEndicott Estate
The Endicott Estate is a mansion built in the nineteenth century, located at 656 East Street in Dedham, Massachusetts “situated on a 15-acre panorama of lush green lawn that is punctuated by stately elm, spruce and weeping willow trees” . It was built by Henry Bradford Endicott, founder of the...
, with short dashes for younger children, and laps around the perimeter of the estate for older children. The Dedham Youth Commission sponsors the race and each participant receives a goody bag, with a variety of items, including a book.
What happens after the race
After the race, there is an awards ceremony complete with winner recognition, prize money (varying each year), and refreshments. There are often local musicians performing after the race as well.Sponsors
Annual sponsors of the event include SubaruSubaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, Dedham Savings Bank, FableVision
FableVision
FableVision is a Boston-based educational media company. FableVision creates educational software and story-based media for children and adults....
, Harpoon Brewery
Harpoon Brewery
Harpoon Brewery is an American microbrewery, with plants in Boston, Massachusetts and Windsor, Vermont. Founded in 1986, the brewery was the first company to obtain a permit to manufacture and sell alcohol in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in over 25 years. In 2000 it purchased the former...
, and National Amusements
National Amusements
National Amusements, Inc. is a privately owned theatre company based in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. The company was founded in 1936 as the Northeast Theatre Corporation by Michael Redstone....
.
Philanthropies the race supports
Since 1989, part of the James Joyce Ramble’s mission has been the protection of human rights. Organizers have supported such controversial writers as Václav HavelVáclav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
, Xu Wenli, Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi, AC is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, her National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained...
, and many others. Since the start of the Iraq War, the Ramble has turned their human rights focus to the support of journalists, including the late Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda.At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and was based in Mumbai, India. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation into the alleged links between...
of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
and Jill Carroll
Jill Carroll
Jill Carroll is an American former journalist who was kidnapped and ultimately released in Iraq. Carroll was a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor at the time of her kidnapping...
of the Christian Science Monitor. The organizers of the James Joyce Ramble have made great strides to help protect the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
rights of journalists all over the world. Besides fighting for human rights, all the financial proceeds from the race, Take a Walk and the Children’s Ramble are donated to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.