The Ondt and the Gracehopper

The Ondt and the Gracehopper is James Joyce’s peculiar and hilarious re-telling of Aesop’s ancient fable of ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’. Joyce’s version is presented in Part III, Chapter 1 of his last great work, Finnegans Wake (1939).

This book consists of forty-six colour illustrations by Irish artist Thomas McNally that run alongside Joyce’s text. Each illustration is based on a line from the fable; taken together, they help to interpret and illuminate the work. Seventy-five years on from the original publication, this illustrated edition of Joyce’s fable offers to readers a comedic, much needed entry-point into Finnegans Wake, and to its apprehension and appreciation.

Although Joyce’s novel is often described as one of the most impenetrable literary works ever written, there are great riches and humour beyond its difficult surface that everyone can enjoy. Reading through Joyce’s fable alongside the illustrations, readers will be offered an immediate introduction to Finnegans Wake and to its sense of the fantastical that is so intrinsic a feature of Joyce’s highly imaginative use of language.

The book also contains essays by McNally and the eminent Joyce scholar Danis Rose, providing further guidance to readers in their exploration of Joyce’s masterwork.