Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness and Selected Short Fiction, by Joseph Conrad, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: * New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars * Biographies of the authors...

The first novel of Conrad's impressive list of works, "Almayer's Folly" revolves around the Dutch trader Kaspar Almayer and his life in the Borneo jungles in the late 19th century. Spurred by his desire for riches, he marries the adopted Malayan daughter of Captain Lingard, an affluent man who then requires Almayer to run his trading post in Sambir, in the Borneo jungles. While his chances of inheriting Lingard's wealth have increased, Almayer is...

This is an exciting, atmospheric work that works on several levels: partly a story of tropical adventures, partly a melodramatic novel, partly a psychological thriller, partly a criticism of the empire. Axel Heist lives on an island in present-day Indonesia with a Chinese aide Wang. Heist visits a nearby island when a women's group plays in a hotel owned by Mr. Schomberg. Schomberg tries to impose himself sexually on one of the band members, Alma,...

Chance (1914) was the first of Conrad's novels to bring him popular success and it holds a unique place among his works. It tells the story of Flora de Barral, a vulnerable and abandoned young girl who is "like a beggar, without a right to anything but compassion." After her bankrupt father is imprisoned, she learns the harsh fact that a woman in her position "has no resources but in herself." Her only means of action is to be what she is. Flora's...

Charles Marlow embarks on his first seafaring journey to the East as a young man on board the Judea, a barque headed towards Bangkok under the command of Captain John Beard. The Judea sets sail on a journey that is meant to take about 150 days, but bad luck and danger follow the vessel wherever she goes. "Youth" is a semi-autobiographical short story based on author Joseph Conrad's own experiences aboard the ship the Palestine in 1882. Much of the...

Joseph Conrad's literary prowess reaches its zenith in "Lord Jim," an extraordinary novel that beckons readers into the turbulent seas of human morality, redemption, and the elusive quest for honor. Set against a backdrop of seafaring adventure and the exotic locales of the East, this masterpiece unfolds with a narrative cadence that echoes the ebb and flow of the tides, immersing readers in a story that transcends time. The heart of the novel...

Drawing upon his experiences as the captain of a steamer on the Congo River, Joseph Conrad wrote "An Outpost of Progress," a sharp critique of British colonialism that the master storyteller considered his best tale. A precursor to Heart of Darkness, it traces the physical and moral degradation of two English overseers at a remote African trading post, offering a compelling view of the destructive effects of cultural isolation. This compilation presents...

Compiled in one book, the essential collection of books by Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness Lord Jim Nostromo Under Western Eyes Victory The Secret Sharer Chance The Rescue

Contained within this volume are two of Joseph Conrad's great tales of the sea, "The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'" and "The Secret Sharer." Drawing from his own experiences as a seaman, Conrad's writing is rich with the details of a life lived at sea. In "The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'" a ship's crew struggles with morale as a black member of the crew lay dying. In the shorter work "The Secret Sharer" a captain on his night watch discovers an officer...

In Notes on My Books (1920), Joseph Conrad recounts his experiences with the writing process. He recounts in detail his intentions and aspirations for each of his major works.