JOSEPH CONRAD lived a life that was as fantastic as any of his fiction. Born in Poland, December 3, 1857, he died in England on August 3, 1924. This native of an inland country spent his youth at sea, and although relatively ignorant of the English language until the age of twenty, he ultimately became one of the greatist of English novelists and stylists. Conrad's parents were aristocrats, ardent patriots who died when he was a child as a result of their revolutionary activities. He went to sea at sixteen and taught himself English and, after diligent study, gradually worked his way up until he passed his master's examination and was given command of merchant ships in the Orient and on the Congo. At the age of thirty-two he decided to try his hand at writing, left the sea, married and became the father of two sons. Although his work won the admiration of critics, sales were small, and debt and poor health plauged Conrad for many years. He was a nervous, introverted, gloomy man, for whom writing was an agony, but he was rich in friends who appreciated his genius, amoung them Henry James, Stephen Crane and Madox Ford. Although the ocean and the mysterious lands that border it are the settings for his books, the truth of human experiance is his theme, depicted with vigor, rhythm, and passionate contemplation of reality.
Works of Joseph Conrad ~
Almayer's Folly, 1895 (Novel)
An Outcast of the Islands, 1896 (Novel)
The Nigger of the "Narcissus," 1897 (Novel)
Lord Jim, 1900 (Novel)
Youth, 1902 (Story)
Typhoon, 1903 (Short Novel)
Nostromo, 1904 (Novel)
The Mirror of the Sea, 1906 (Autobiography)
The Secret Agent, 1907 (Novel)
The Secret Sharer, 1910 (Short Novel)
The Heart of Darkness, 1910 (Short Novel)
Under Western Eyes, 1911 (Novel)
A Personal Record, 1912 (Autobiography)
Chance, 1913 (Novel)
Victory, 1915 (Novel)
The Shadow-Line, 1917 (Short Novel)
The Arrow of Gold, 1919 (Novel)
The Rescue, 1920 (Novel)
The Rover, 1923 (Novel)
Suspense, 1925 (Novel)
*All biographical information on this page was taken from the Signet Classic copy of the Joseph Conrad novelette The Heart of Darkness...