Page 230

 CHAPTER ELEVEN 230 
JOYCE'S stay in Trieste in 1920 was not a happy one. The Habsburg Empire
no longer existed and Trieste had changed hands. With all its faults the
old dual monarchy was a political roof over the heads of many peoples and
even a leaky roof is better than a continual moving job. "If only the war
would come to an, end," said everybody while the war was on, ' but when it
ended everybody found how horrible peace could be. The world was full of
housing, currency, unemployment, transport and frontier problems. The bills
to be met appalled everybcdy and the shareout satisfied nobody. This was
everywhere the case but there was in addition an administrative change-over
in progress in Trieste. Apart from the climate of the Adriatic port, which
I understand suited him admirably, Joyce worked under a greater handicap
in Trieste than in Zurich. This, however, had no effect on his rate of production.
Two episodes, Xausikaa and The Oxen of the Sun, were completed during Joyce's
six months' stay in Trieste. In several letters Joyce invited me to visit
him there, but I had made up my mind to return to England at the earliest
opportunity, and to make both journeys seemed to me to be impracticable.
Fortunately, August Suter was able to give me employment in his studio in
Zollikon. This work, with the addition of an intensive effort in the selling
of pictures, enabled me to earn enough, money to cover the cost of my journey
with something in hand for a start in London. August Suter thought that going
back to London was a crazy project.