Literature · Media · 1882–1941

James Joyce — Age & Birthday

Born: 2 February 1882 · Died: 13 January 1941 · Age at death: 58

How old was James Joyce when he died?

James Joyce died aged 58. He was born on 2 February 1882 and died on 13 January 1941.

Irish modernist writer of Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and the landmark novel Ulysses

Did you know?He had such a profound fear of thunderstorms that he believed they were a sign of divine anger.

Quick facts

  • Date of birth2 February 1882
  • Date of death13 January 1941
  • Age at death58
  • Cause of deathPeritonitis
  • NationalityIrish
  • BirthplaceDublin, Ireland
  • Occupationpoet, novelist, teacher

Editor's Take:

Joyce set out to capture the inner life of ordinary people in a way no novelist had done before. Ulysses follows a handful of Dubliners over a single day, 16 June 1904, now celebrated every year as Bloomsday. It uses streams of thought, puns, parodies and shifting styles, making it famously challenging yet endlessly rewarding. The book was banned for obscenity in several countries before a landmark American court ruling in 1933. Although he spent most of his adult life abroad, almost everything he wrote is set in his native Dublin.

Key Milestones

  1. 1904: Leaves Ireland with Nora Barnacle
  2. 1914: Publishes Dubliners
  3. 1922: Publishes Ulysses in Paris
  4. 1939: Publishes Finnegans Wake

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist movement and is regarded among the most influential and important writers of the 20th century.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Profile

James Joyce: Author of Ulysses

Irish novelist, born 1882

James Joyce was born in Dublin on 2 February 1882.

He wrote Dubliners, Ulysses and Finnegans Wake.

He lived most of his adult life in exile from Ireland.

He died in Zurich in 1941.

Career highlights

  1. 1904Bloomsday: walks out with Nora
  2. 1914Dubliners: published
  3. 1916Portrait of the Artist: published
  4. 1922Ulysses: published
  5. 1939Finnegans Wake: published

Did you know?Ulysses takes place on a single day, 16 June 1904.

Age at death
58
Would be
144
Years since death
85

Explore James Joyce's birthday

Questions people ask

Frequently asked questions

When is James Joyce's birthday?
James Joyce's birthday is February 2. He was born on February 2, 1882 in Dublin, Ireland.
How old was James Joyce when he died?
James Joyce died on January 13, 1941, aged 58.
Who shares a birthday with James Joyce?
Famous people who share James Joyce's February 2 birthday include Shakira, Ayn Rand, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Park Geun-hye and Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord.

Born on the same day6

February 2 →
Shakirab. 1977

Shakira

MusicAge 49
View profile Photo (modified): Junta de Andalucía · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ayn Rand1905–1982

Ayn Rand

LiteratureWould be 121
View profile Photo (modified): Photo portrait credited to "Talbot" (though not on original dust jacket). Published by the Bobbs-Merrill Company . · Public domain
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing1926–2020

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

PoliticsWould be 100
View profile Photo (modified): Christian Lambiotte · CC BY 4.0
PG
b. 1952

Park Geun-hye

PoliticsAge 74
View profile
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord1754–1839

Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord

PoliticsDied aged 85
View profile Photo (modified): François Gérard · Public domain
Gerard Piquéb. 1987

Gerard Piqué

SportsAge 39
View profile Photo (modified): Vinod Divakaran · CC BY 2.0

Missing someone? Suggest them

Also Aquarius4

All →

Birthday gift ideas

We may earn a small commission from purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Further reading

Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.

Last reviewed: October 2026