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The month of June has passed but the scent of Bloomsday still lingers. Perhaps not many young writers, especially in Indonesia, understand about Bloomsday which is celebrated every 16 June. In fact, Bloomdays celebrations take place in many countries around the world, and now they have arrived in Indonesia after the Irish Embassy in Jakarta held several programs in June 2021.

Bloomsday is a day to celebrate the novel Ulysses by James Joyce, the Irish writer. Since it was first celebrated in 1929 (TEMP magazine). But Wikipedia sources say the celebration was actually held in 1922. Not in Dublin as the original story, the celebration was actually the first time held in Paris by Sylvia Beach.

The first Bloomsday celebration was also not held on June 16, but on February 2, 1922, which was James Joyce's 40th birthday. June 16 was chosen as the day to celebrate Bloomsday because on June 16 a character named Leopold Bloom visited various locations in Dublin for a full day.

James Joyce picked June 16 because it was the day he first dated Nora Barnacle—the woman who later became his wife—in Dublin, Ireland.

The book Ulysses was once banned from circulation which was accused of immorality because there were parts that contained erotic elements in it. In fact, the depiction of the erotic scene is not too vulgar, especially by using the glasses of today's literary works. However, the ban on the book reaching the United States, actually made Ulysses immortal, until now.

The book then became famous throughout the world when a photo of the top American actress at that time, Marilyn Monroe, was circulating reading the book in clothes that at that time were considered sexy.

How some of the world's most famous writers come to celebrate the Bloomsday Festival proves that books can change the world and civilization. Tourism in Dublin is growing rapidly, even a century later, people still celebrate Bloomsday.

Literacy has influence hundreds of years later. Thought-powerful, experimentally high-level fiction books are remembered beyond their time. Even in the era of digital technology, a book is still celebrated in a unique and intellectual way.[]

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Bloomsday, Bukti Kejayaan Literasi yang Melampaui Zaman

Bulan Juni sudah berlalu tetapi aroma Bloomsday masih saja membekas. Mungkin tidak banyak penulis muda, terutama di Indonesia, yang mengerti tentang Bloomsday yang dirayakan setiap 16 Juni. Padahal, perayaan Bloomdays berlangsung di banyak negara di dunia, dan kini sampai juga di Indonesia setelah Kedutaan Besar Irlandia di Jakarta menggelar beberapa program pada Juni 2021 lalu.

Bloomsday adalah hari perayaan novel Ulysses karya James Joyce, penulis asal Irlandia. Sejak pertama kali dirayakan pada 1929 (majalah TEMPO). Tapi sumber Wikipedia menyebutkan perayaan itu justru dilakukan pada 1922. Bukan di Dublin sebagaimana kisah aslinya, perayaan itu justru pertama kalinya digelar di Paris oleh Sylvia Beach.

Perayaan Bloomsday yang pertama juga tidak dilakukan pada 16 Juni, melainkan 2 Februari 1922 yang merupakan ulang tahun James Joyce ke-40. Tanggal 16 Juni dipilih sebagai hari perayaan Bloomsday karena pada 16 Juni tokoh bernama Leopold Bloom mengunjungi berbagai lokasi di Dublin selama sehari penuh.

James Joyce mengambil tanggal 16 Juni karena pada hari itulah pertama kali ia berkencan dengan Nora Barnacle—perempuan yang kemudian menjadi istrinya—di Dublin, Irlandia.

Buku Ulysses pernah dilarang beredar yang dituduh amoral karena ada bagian yang mengandung unsur erotis di dalamnya. Padahal, penggambaran adegan erotis tersebut tidak terlalu vulgar, apalagi dengan menggunakan kaca mata karya sastra zaman sekarang. Namun, pelarangan buku tersebut sampai di Amerika Serikat, justru membuat Ulysses menjadi abadi, sampai sekarang.

Buku tersebut kemudian bertambah terkenal di seluruh dunia ketika beredar foto aktris top Amerika masa itu, Marilyn Monroe, sedang membaca buku tersebut dengan pakaian yang di masa itu dinilai seksi.

Bagaimana sejumlah penulis terkenal di seluruh dunia ikut merayakan Bloomsday Festival membuktikan bahwa buku bisa mengubah dunia dan perabadan. Pariwisata di Dublin tumbuh pesat, bahkan sampai satu abad kemudian, orang masih merayakan Bloomsday.

Literasi memberikan pengaruh sampai ratusan tahun kemudian. Buku fiksi yang memiliki kekuatan pikiran, tingkat eksperimental yang tinggi, tetap dikenang melampaui zamannya. Bahkan di era serbuan teknologi digital, sebuah buku masih tetap dirayakan dengan cara unik dan mencerdaskan.[Ayi Jufridar]

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