Episode: Telemachus

Day 1

Monday, June 1, 2026

Episode 1 — Telemachus

Pages: 1-11 (Gabler)
30-40 minutes

Reading Ranges by Edition

Page references correspond to widely used modern editions of Ulysses. Pagination may vary slightly across printings; if your copy differs, follow the episode divisions and read to the natural break. We are moving together through the same day, even if the page numbers shift.

EditionRange
Gutenbergline 6 'Stately, plump Buck Mulligan…' – line 586 'A quart, Stephen said'
Bodley Headpgs 1–11
Penguinpgs 1–15
Wordsworthpgs 3–13
US Vintage Gablerpgs 3–12

Listen

RTÉ: TELEMACHUS (1)

Today's Segment: 0:00:38–0:25:06 (8AM)

Listen on RTÉ

Overview

We begin at 8am on June 16, 1904, atop the Martello Tower in Sandycove. Stephen Dedalus, our intellectual young protagonist, shares the tower with Buck Mulligan, a boisterous medical student, and Haines, an English visitor interested in Irish folklore. This opening episode establishes the tensions that will propel Stephen through the day: his uneasy relationship with Mulligan, his grief over his mother's death, and his sense of artistic mission.

Step-In

Each day's reading has its own discussion space. This is your place to reflect, ask a question, or respond to something that stayed with you.

We begin with a Chatstart—a short line offered by a reader to get you thinking. It's simply a starting point.

Keeping the conversation connected to each day's reading preserves the rhythm of the 80-day journey and allows the discussion to unfold over time.

Free. Step in. You'll be asked for your email if you'd like to join the conversation.

Some readers comment often; others simply follow along.