The article represents a Nicolae Manolescu’s book “Arca lui Noie” post-reading synthesis. Studying for several years the works of James Joyce we were interested to identify in what manner the Romanian critic interpreted and contextualized his writings through a relation to the Romanian literature. Manolescu declares Joyce to be a model, and provides strong arguments to equate the style and intention with the concept of “making” literature. At times, Manolescu forwards a number of “verdicts” against a numbers of well affirmed names of Romanian literature, who according to Manolescu, more surely did not read the novel “Ulysses” rather than did not comprehend it. The contemporary researcher finds it interesting and “democratic” such a different appreciation of already classical names, for example that of Camil Petrescu. Though we did not intend a “dismembering” of the authors’ profiles, likewise the book “Arca lui Noe” is also a subjective insight. We are more interest sted in the reception of the novel of Joyce in the famous essay about the Romanian novel by Nicolae Manolescu.