June 16th, 1904 is the day on which the 'action' of Ulysses takes place; the day on which James Joyce first went out with Nora Barnacle. How then to celebrate Bloomsday?
Recently a newspaper columnist toyed with the notion of matching wines to books chosen by reading groups. Chianti for Dante was one suggestion; Guinness for Ulysses another equally unimaginative one. The Burgundy that Mr Bloom drinks in Davy Byrne's, 'moral pub', might be a better choice. The gorgonzola sandwich is optional.
Virginia Woolf didn't enjoy Ulysses. She described Joyce as 'underbred' and Ulysses as 'brackish'. Now, brackish is a quality that, present in a Burgundy, might well occasion a certain froideur with the sommelier. Applied to a literary work its meaning seems less secure.
Neither writer lived in Lewes. Virginia Woolf did acquire the 'Round House' in Pipes Passage, but wiser counsels prevailed and she and Leonard never moved in.
Another great modernist writer who never lived in Lewes was TS Eliot. Virginia Woolf wrote to him on 25th September, 1922 recommending a property to let, in 'that crescent which you pass on the left as you drive out to us'. She continues, “There is nothing at the back between you and Newhaven and it is in the best part of Lewes... I think it would be worth your seeing if you seriously think of a house in this part...”
But Eliot couldn't face it.
Finally, if Hampshire cricket supporters are smarting from their emphatic defeat by Sussex at Arundel last week, they must derive comfort from the events of June 16th, 1807. Hampshire beat 'England' at Lord's, bowling the opposing side out for 77 and 144 to win by 24 runs.