Exiles. A Play in Three Acts

New York: B.W. Huebsch, 1918. First edition. Fine/Near Fine. Published simultaneously with the English edition on May 25, 1918 (see Slocum & Cahoon, 14 and 15). A Fine copy of the book in Near Fine dust jacket. [vi], 154 pp. Publisher's green cloth over tan blindstamped boards. A touch of foxing to edges and top edge dusty, otherwise clean throughout. Dust jacket rubbed and a bit foxed, with just a few short tears to the rear panel. Overall a very appealing copy of Joyce's only play.

Exiles captures the romantic dramas of Richard and Bertha, a common-law couple recently returned to their home country of Ireland, and the complex dynamics that play out between them, Richard's cousin Robert, and Robert's wife Beatrice. "The play was not especially popular at the time and is commonly regarded as one of Joyce's weaker works. However, much of the initial criticism may have had to do with the play's provocative themes: unconventional relationships, jealousy, weakened national ties to Ireland, and exile. All of these topics resonate with Joyce's personal life, making Exiles a partly autobiographical work" (James Joyce Foundation).

After W.B. Yeats refused to stage the play, Joyce unsuccessfully attempted to interest theatrical companies throughout England, Ireland, and the United States. Exiles eventually debuted in German translation in Munich in 1919. Of the premiere, Joyce wrote: "Complete fiasco. Row in theatre. Play withdrawn. Author invited but not present...Thank God" (Morgan Library). The play was not performed in English until a staging at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in 1925.

Slocum & Cahoon, 15. Fine in Near Fine dust jacket.