A Historical Guide to Joseph Conrad [Hardcover]

Born to Polish parents in what is now known as the Ukraine, Joseph Conrad would become one of the greatest writers in the English language. With works likeLord Jim, The Nigger of the Narcissus, andHeart of Darkness,he not only solidified his place in the panethon of great novelists, but also established himself as a keen-eyed chronicler of the social and political themes that animated the contemporary world around him. The original essays assembled here by John G. Peters showcase the abundance of historical material Conrad drew upon to create his varied literary corpus. Essays show how the author mined his early life as a sailor to pen gripping, realistic tales of nautical life while issuing scathing indictments of colonialism and capitalist cupidity in works likeAlmayer's FollyandHeart of Darkness. His unique sense of himself as an outsider is explored in relation to his pointed political novels that critiqued corruption and terrorism, most notably inNostromoandThe Secret Agent. In addition to his major works, essays consider Conrad's contributions as an innovative modernist and his unique role in the nineteenth-century literary marketplace. Complete with an up-to-date bibliography and illustrated chronology,A Historical Guide to Joseph Conradprovides an invaluable resource to the life and work of the major novelist.

...[The essays here] orient the new reader and experienced scholar alike with both the traditions in Conrad criticism and the state of the feeling today. ...A Historical Guide to Joseph Conradis an outstanding resource for the beginning scholar or student of Conrad's works, one which should find a place on any Conradian's bookshelf. ... [I]nvaluable to students and readers new to his works. --Joseph Conrad Today

...[W]ell worth close perusal... Scholars will be reminded just how much there is to know about the Conrads peripheral to their own worklC]