Of James Joyce's Ulysses, Virginia Woolf once said: "Never did I read such tosh."

Tennessee Williams wrote an entire term paper titled "Why Ulysses Is Boring."

By contrast, critic Edmund Wilson called it "perhaps the most faithful X-ray ever taken of the ordinary human consciousness."

If ever a book was marked by controversy, it was this one, a story initially banned for obscenity and alternately praised and derided by Joyce's peers at the time of its release.

Ulysses lived on to achieve classic status. What's more, annual celebrations have evolved worldwide to honor the date the fictional story takes place, June 16, 1904, with this year's 100th anniversary sparking more than the usual attention.

To wit: This month, Vintage Books offers a wonderful compendium of quotes and reminiscences of Joyce's work, titled Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes: A Celebration of James Joyce, Ulysses, and the 100 Years of Bloomsday, edited by Nola Tully ($11). The book is a spirited look at Joyce that reminds readers that only history can take the full measure of the importance of a literary work.

Meanwhile, for Denverites who prefer their celebrations in a social spirit, the James Joyce Reading Society, the city of Denver, local booksellers, the Denver Press Club and others offer a host of events this weekend:

Today: 6 p.m. showing of Ulysses movie and lectures at the Tivoli, 900 Auraria Parkway.

Saturday: Readings from selected chapters of Ulysses: 9:30 a.m., "Martello Tower" at Observatory Park, 2930 E. Warren Ave.; 10:30 a.m., "Hades" at the Riverside Cemetery, 5201 Brighton Blvd.; noon, "Aeolus" at the Denver Press Club, 1330 Glenarm Place; 2 p.m., "Scylla and Charybdis" at the Tattered Cover in lower downtown, 1628 16th St.; 4 p.m., "Sirens" at Metropolitan State Center for Visual Arts, 1734 Wazee St.; 6 p.m., "Cyclops" at Nallens, 1429 Market St.; 8 p.m., "Penelope" in Hotel Teatro meeting room, 1100 14th St.

Sunday: 7 p.m., Germinal Stage presents Circe, Chapter 15 (reservations required: 303-455-7108).

For more information, call Dennis Walker at 303-399-4633 or 303-388-6053.