James Joyce was an influential 20th century Irish writer known for works like Ulysses and Dubliners. "Counterparts" is a short story in Dubliners about a man named Farrington who works as a clerk and feels pressure and humiliation at work. He drinks away his frustrations but still feels anger and takes it out on his wife and child when he returns home drunk. The story examines how people use alcohol and anger to cope with life's difficulties and shows the dark side of human nature through Farrington's character.