James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic who made a significant contribution to the modernist avant-garde movement and is celebrated as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. His most notable work, Ulysses (1922), is a landmark in literature, employing a variety of literary styles, including the stream of consciousness technique, to parallel the episodes of Homer's Odyssey.

Other celebrated works include the short-story collection Dubliners (1914), and the novels A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939). Joyce's oeuvre also encompasses three books of poetry, a play, letters, and occasional journalism. Born in Dublin into a middle-class family, Joyce's life was marked by his move to mainland Europe in 1904 with his future wife, Nora Barnacle. Despite spending most of his adult life abroad, Joyce's literary universe is deeply rooted in Dublin, reflecting his nuanced view of this city.

His work, including Ulysses, frequently ranks high in lists of great literature, and his stylistic innovations—such as meticulous attention to detail, use of interior monologue, wordplay, and the transformation of traditional plot and character development—have significantly influenced many writers, filmmakers, and artists. Joyce's death in Zurich in 1941 after surgery for a perforated ulcer marked the end of an era in literature, but his legacy continues to be a subject of extensive academic study and admiration.