What is the author's style in James Joyce by Richard Ellmann?

Richard Ellmann, the author of James Joyce, is one of the foremost literary biographers of the twentieth century and his books win many awards and much praise. In fact, "James Joyce," originally published in 1959, wins the National Book Award in 1960. Although he is American, he works extensively on biographies of Irish authors, including Joyce, but also W.B. Yeats and Oscar Wilde. The influence of his work on Yeats is evident in "James Joyce," as he has tracked down extensive correspondence between the two authors, discussing the influence the older Yeats has on Joyce's career, especially at the beginning stages.

The biography's structure is deceptively straightforward. Ellmann divides the book into five sections, each corresponding to particular geographic locations where Joyce lives throughout his life. Although the chronological layout of the book seems relatively straightforward and normal, however, it has several interesting diversions. Ellmann is an excellent literary critic in his own right and in the second section (which describes the period during which Joyce comes up with ideas for many of his most celebrated works), he takes chapters to describe the origins of these books.