Henry Flower

Bloom's surname is an English-language approximation of the Hungarian "Virag" that his father changed after he moved to Ireland. To conduct clandestine erotic correspondence, Bloom has devised yet another such name, "Henry Flower." Countless details in the novel suggest that he cherishes his name's association with flowers, most often in the context of romantic longing—fittingly, since flowers are a plant's sexual organs. But the names Bloom and Flower also seem to have been suggested by real people.

John Hunt 2019


Orchis italica, the naked man orchid. Source: www.boredpanda.com.



Dracula simia, the monkey orchid. Source: www.gardentags.com.




Group photograph of the Dublin Metropolitan Police tug-of-war team of 1894, with Henry Flower seated at the lower right. Source: twitter.com.



Detail of Henry Flower from the photograph above.



Actor, poet, and singer-songwriter Henry Gibson in a still from the Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In TV show in 1969. Source: Wikimedia Commons.