In the early years of the 20th century, there was a plethora of new, experimental art movements: Fauvism & Cubism (in France), Futurism (in Italy), Supremism & Constructivism (in Russia), Expressionism (in Germany) and Vorticism (in England). Many artists were interested in a synthesis of the arts. Kandinsky foresaw a time when art forms would coalesce. Schoenberg & Scriabin explored the relationship between music and painting. Kandinsky had a synaesthetic ability to see colours when he heard music. From 1908, his pictures are an opera of colour. The Futurists wrote poetry as well as painted. Later, Joyce wrote prose aspiring to the condition of music (Episode 11 of Ulysses). To what extent was it possible to write prose fiction that resembled abstract (Vorticist) painting? This question will be considered in relation to Wyndham Lewis’s 1914 play, Enemy of the Stars and his 1918 novel, Tarr.

Dr. Peter Kennedy is an adjunct associate professor in the School of English at the University of Hong Kong. He has been a teacher and academic administrator in Hong Kong since 1988: first in teacher education, then running numerous courses for adult learners with HKU and latterly in the School of English. He introduced Irish Studies courses at HKU. He holds degrees from the universities of Bristol, Sussex, Wales, Essex and Trinity College Dublin. His five books and his journal articles have been mainly concerned with adult learning and learning English through literature. He teaches C20th poetry  and C21st English poetry as well as a Ulysses course. He inaugurated the annual ‘Bloomsday’ celebrations in HK 25 years ago. He continues to deepen his understanding of Joyce (see, for instance, his piece in the James Joyce Quarterly, 2021). He also writes poetry that has been published in HK, Ireland and the UK (e.g. in the London Literary Review).