Simon Dedalus

Simon Dedalus is a fictional character in two works by James Joyce - "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and "Ulysses". He is the father of Stephen Dedalus, a principal character in both books, and a friend of Leopold Bloom, the hero of "Ulysses". Dedalus is a passionate Irish nationalist and follower of Parnell, and a fine drinking companion, but proves a poor "pater familias", unable to care for his large family, and is seen as an inadequate father to Stephen, who, in "Ulysses", must seek out Bloom as a surrogate father figure, despite Simon's frequent presence throughout the book. Dedalus was largely based on Joyce's own father, John Stanislaus Joyce.