THE JOYCE GIRL
by Annabel Abbs
Impress Books signs exciting new historical
fiction novel about James Joyce’s daughter
Impress Books has acquired an exciting new historical fiction title, The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs, a novel
based on the life of James Joyce’s daughter, Lucia, at the time of her affair with Samuel Beckett and her
psychological decline.
The Joyce Girl won the Impress Prize for New Writers in September 2015. The shortlist was judged by a
panel of experts in the publishing industry. The novel was also longlisted for the Bath Novel Award and
the Caledonia Novel Award.
“When she reaches her full capacity for rhythmic dancing, James Joyce may yet be known as his
daughter’s father!”
Paris 1928. Lucia, the talented and ambitious daughter of James Joyce, is making a name for herself as a dancer, training with many famous dancers of her day and moving in social circles which
throw her into contact with Samuel Beckett. Convinced she has clairvoyant powers, she believes her
destiny is to marry Beckett, but the overbearing shadow of her father threatens this vision. Caught
between her own ambitions and desires, and her parents’ demands, Lucia faces both emotional and
psychological struggles that attract the attention of pioneer psychoanalyst Dr Jung.
Shifting between past and present, The Joyce Girl is a mesmerising fictionalisation of Lucia’s life. It
explores the anguish of thwarted ambition and love, and the damage wrought by the nurturing but
ultimately destructive love of a father.
A mesmerising and original debut, The Joyce Girl will be published in the UK and
Ireland in paperback and eBook in June 2016.
978-1-907605-87-1 pbk
978-1-907605-88-8 ebk
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Abbs has found a gripping and little-known story at the heart of one of the 20th century’s most astonishing creative moments, researched it deeply, and brought the extraordinary Joyce family and their circle in
1920s Paris to richly-imagined life.
– Emma Darwin, author of Sunday Times bestseller A Secret Alchemy,
and The Mathematics of Love
The Joyce Girl won the 2015 Impress Prize against strong competition due to its intriguing subject matter
and fantastic evocation of 1920s Paris. James Joyce’s stories are known worldwide, but much about his
family’s personal lives are clouded in mystery. The Joyce Girl offers a fascinating glimpse behind the books
from the perspective of Joyce’s forgotten but talented daughter, Lucia, and we are excited to be publishing it
in 2016.
-Editorial Manager, David Lancett
I fell in love with The Joyce Girl from the first chapter. Set in 1920s Paris, Zurich and London, it masterfully explores the damage wrought by living in the shadow of a genius. In lush and vivid writing, Annabel
Abbs brings to light the untold tale of Lucia Joyce who was erased from the family history due to her confinement in a mental institution. To fictionalise the tragic life of James Joyce’s daughter is not only tantalising for literature lovers but also the stuff bestsellers are made of! We are thrilled that Impress Books will
publish this talented voice in British literature.
- Zeitgeist Literary Agency, Sharon Galant
Winning the Impress Prize has been a wonderful boost. Writing the story of Joyce’s talented daughter has
been rather like shining a torch into one of history’s darker cavities. With Impress’s support, I can now
bring the fully imagined story to light.
- Annabel Abbs
Author Bio
Annabel Abbs grew up in Bristol, Wales and Sussex, before studying English Literature at the University of East Anglia. Her
debut novel, The Joyce Girl, won the 2015 Impress Prize and was
longlisted for the 2015 Bath Novel Award and the 2015 Caledonia
Novel Award. Her short stories have been long and shortlisted for
various awards. She is now completing her second novel, based on
the life of Frieda von Richthofen, wife and muse to D.H. Lawrence.
Before she began writing she spent 15 years running a marketing
consultancy where her clients included Reuters, Sony and the FT.
She lives in London and Sussex with her husband and four children.
@annabelabbs
www.facebook.com/annabel.abbs
978-1-907605-87-1 pbk
978-1-907605-88-8 ebk
facebook.com/ImpressPrize | @ImpressPrize | impress_books
[email protected] +44 (0)1392 950910