During the last stage of the writing process, Joyce seems to have
been preoccupied with the idea of the veil of Maya. Amongst the volumes
in his library is a book by Heinrich Zimmer, Maya: der indische Mythos
(Berlin: Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 1936; sent to Joyce by Zimmer as a dedication
copy at the beginning of October 1938 [Cf. Knowlson]), from which Joyce
took some notes in notebook VI.B.41 (dated by Danis Rose: late Aug-mid
Oct 1938), p. 288-289. Most of them are excerpted from a chapter called
"Weltnächte und -tage" (p. 37-57). Because of his bad eyesight, Joyce
- according to James Knowlson - also asked Samuel Beckett if he would read
Zimmer's book and take notes on it for him. (Cf. Knowlson, 760) Beckett
apparently left his notes (on three pages) in the book when he gave it
back to Joyce. The three pages of notes in Beckett's hand are described
in The Personal Library of James Joyce, p. 42-47.
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