Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, and was first published in 1914. The stories form a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man NOVEL represents the transitional stage between the realism of Joyce's Dubliners and the symbolism of Ulysses, and is essential to the understanding of the later work. The novel is a highly autobiographical account of the adolescence and youth of Stephen Dedalus, who reappears in Ulysses, and who comes to realize that before he can become a true artist, he must rid himself of the stultifying effects of the religion, politics and essential bigotry of his background in late 19th century Ireland. Written with a light touch, this is perhaps the most accessible of Joyce's works.