Despite the fact he spoke little English before the age of twenty, Polish-British short story writer and novelist Joseph Conrad received literary acclaim for his rich prose, which expressed a consistent concern with the opposing forces of good and evil. Largely inspired by his fifteen years of naval experience Conrad guided his audience on dangerous sea journeys to exotic locations, all the while grappling with the vulnerability and personal folly of the individual when faced with the unpredictability of the natural world. His extensive body of work comprised of novels, short story collections, and novellas holds an honored position in the English literary canon, with the modernist themes of exile, isolation, and confusion.

Jozéf Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski was born in 1857 in Berdichev, Ukraine. His father, Apollo Nalęcz Korzeniowski, was a Polish patriot and his resistance against Russian rule led to his exile at Vologda in 1861. However, the climate of northern Russia exacerbated his wife’s tuberculosis, and she died in 1865. In 1869 Apollo also died of tuberculosis, leaving their son, Joseph Conrad, under the guardianship of his uncle who sent him to school in Kraków and eventually Switzerland. After around five years of schooling, Conrad lost interest in his education, and left to go to sea.

In 1876 Conrad is believed to have taken part in an illegal venture before finding himself in a large sum of debt. After a failed suicide attempt, Conrad signed on to the British merchant navy, where he would spend the next sixteen years. Exposed to more of the English language and British culture, Conrad wrote his first letters in English in 1883. In 1886 he both earned his master mariner’s certificate, and became a British subject. During his many sea voyages Conrad began to collect material for his future novels and short stories, exploring the parts of the world that he eventually shared with his audience.

In 1889 Conrad had just began working on a draft of his first novel, Almayer’s Folly, when he took an opportunity to command a Congo River steamboat. Much of his experience in the Congo Free State was chronicled in his novella, “Heart of Darkness” (1899), which is widely regarded as his most famous work. The storyline typifies Conrad’s literary vision, attempting to reveal the true nature of evil, as well as the true nature of man. In 1894, a few years after returning from the Congo, Conrad’s uncle died and Conrad officially ended his career at sea.

The end of his time voyaging marked the beginning of Conrad’s career as a writer. In 1895 he published his first novel, Almayer’s Folly, under the name Joseph Conrad, which he felt would be easier for his British audience than his Polish name. During the same year, he married Jessie George, with whom he eventually had two sons. Conrad would not see any real financial success until 1910 after publishing several novels featuring romance and political intrigue, including Lord Jim (1900), Nostromo (1904), The Secret Agent (1907), and Under Western Eyes (1911). He saw further success when the New York Herald serialized his novel Chance in 1912. For the remainder of his life, Conrad continued to write despite his challenges with rheumatism. In 1924, Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald offered to knight Conrad to honor his literary achievements, however he declined the offer and died later that same year.

The Secret Agent

Novels

Joseph Conrad

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