OBITUARY

Southland Times, Issue 24333, 14 January 1941, Page 5

OBITUARY

JAMES JOYCE (Received January 13, 9.30 p.m.) ZURICH, January 12. The death has occurred of James Joyce, the Irish author witli a style and vocabulary peculiarly his own. He was born in Dublin in February 1882 and educated at the Royal University, Dublin, where he took I his B.A. Interested in languages and lit- [ erature, he mastered Norwegian and read | Insen in the original. He studied medicine at Paris University, but broke away to train as an opera singer, having a fine tenor voice. Again changing his mind, he returned to Dublin, where he produced a volume of verse "Chamber Music” and a novel "Dubliners,” marked by vivid characterization, but so eccentric in style that he had difficulty in finding a publisher. At the outbreak of the last war he moved to Switzerland. Meanwhile he had been working on "Ulysses,” a book of great length containing an imaginative record of every thought that passes through the mind of a Dublin newspaper canvasser during one day. He meets many actual people, fact being woven into fiction in the most daring way. It was difficult to read owing to Joyce’s practice of inventing words to express ideas or imitate sounds. Moreover he ignored the conventions of punctuation. “Ulysses” took him 10 years to write. Because of its freedom of expression no British firm would publish it and the book only saw the light through being printed by a French firm. In a later book, "Work in Progress,” Joyce carried his rejection of the canons of delicacy and his eccentricity in language still further. It is a story without time of a hero in whom are merged figures of mythology, antiquity, the Middle Ages and today—a story of a synthetic hero told in synthetic language. One word consists of 99 letters. It seems to mean "crash.” At intervals Joyce published portions of this work, including “Haveth Childers Everywhere.’ In 1928 he sued a United States publisher for £lO,OOO for unauthorized use of his novel "Ulysses.” MR EMANUEL LASKER (Received January 13, 6.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 12. The death is announced of Mr Emanuel Lasker, former chess champion. Mr Lasker was 73 years of age. Born and educated in Germany, he won the chess championship of England in 1892, of America in 1893, and of the world in 1894. CAPTAIN F. COLBECK The death has occurred in Auckland of Captain Frank Colbeck, of Morrinsville, in his eightieth year. Captain Colbeck was long associated with the Farmers’ Union, of which he was a life member, and Dominion vice-president in 1921. He was born at Batley, Yorkshire, and passed through Sandhurst, being afterwards posted to the Ist West India Regiment. That was in 1882. He served in various parts of the world, but eventually left the army and came to New Zealand, settling on the land in the Kaipara district. He was appointed adjutant of the Bth New Zealand Contingent in the South African War. For three years of the Great War he was military censor at Auckland. Captain Colbeck was unsuccessful in three attempts to enter Parliament as a representative of the Country Party. REV. ALBERT WINGFIELD (Special to The Times) DUNEDIN, January 13. The death occurred in Wellington on January 9 of the Rev. Albert Wingfield, who, when he retired early in 1936, relinquished the vicarship of the Holy

Cross Church, St. Kilda. For the past five years he had lived in Seatoun. Wellington. He was in his seventy-first year. Born at Acton, London, Mr Wingfield was educated partly in England and partly in the colonies. His service in the Church of England began in Australia in 1896 and, during this part of his career, he undertook many long and arduous journeys, covering in all more than 16,000 miles in a buggy and experiencing temperatures up to as high as 107 degrees in the shade. During his term of office there was a substantial development in the diocese, but in 1899 he was obliged for reasons of healtl to take six months’ rest in a more moderate climate. He visited New Zealand and. instead of returning to Australia, accepted an invitation by the Bishop of Dunedin to undertake missionary work in the large district extending from Edendale to Waikawa.

Bringing to this service his valuable Australian experience he developed the work of the church in a number of centres and caused it to flourish strongly. It was through his efforts that the Fortrose Church was built and furnished and placed free of debt. In 1899 he was. ordained a priest. His first charge was at Wyndham and in 1094 he was appointed vicar of Gore, where he remained until 1918, when he was appointed vicar of St. Kilda. His vicarships in Southland and St. Kilda were distinguished particularly by sound and prudent parish development and his ministration by its earnestness and unfailing helpfulness which won him many deep and lasting friendships. He was a lover and student of music and in his youth sang in oratorio with success. He was also a keen Rugby footballer and cricketer. In his later years bowls and gardening were his hobbies, but music remained his favourite recreation.