Exiles was forced into publication before production, despite the best efforts of both Joyce and Ezra Pound, to whom Joyce had shown the transcript in the fall of 1915. When Joyce was unable to find a theater in the UK or US to stage it, the play had its world premiere at the Munich Kammerspiele in Munich. It was directed by Erwin von Busse and received largely unfavorable reviews.[6]
Harold Pinter’s staging of Exiles in 1970 received greater praise, with many critics claiming that the play had been “revived.”[7] A 2006 production directed by James Macdonald at the National Theatre also enjoyed a positive reception.[8][9] Some critics have claimed that Exiles may have been reviewed poorly in its time due to Joyce’s progressive ideas about love and relationships.[8]
