Joseph Conrad, Brief Bio and Works
Polish-born British Novelist and Short Story Writer
Life and works of British author Joseph Conrad, famous for short story 'Heart of Darkness' and Lord Jim.
British author Joseph Conrad is best known for his book Lord Jim and short story "Hear of Darkness." He is considered a great British novelist, although he did not start learning English until he was 20 years old. Conrad's stories are primarily based on his adventure at sea.
Early Life of Joseph Conrad
Polish-born British novelist and short-story writer Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was born on December 3, in what was then part of Russian-occupied Poland. He was christened Jóseph Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski.
As a boy, Conrad read Polish and French versions of English novels with his father, but his childhood was not a happy one. His father, a Polish revolutionary patriot, poet and translator, was arrested by Russian authorities for conspiracy.
The family moved in Northern Russia where they lived in exile. A few years later, his mother died of tuberculosis when he was eight years old. His father also died of tuberculosis, four years after his mother. An orphan, he became the ward of his wealthy maternal uncle. His uncle's money allowed Joseph to live well, including traveling.
Life with His Uncle
Joseph Conrad's uncle arranged for him to be educated by a young medical student. Although Joseph was more interested in the sea than in learning, he and his tutor romped about, visiting Bavaria, Austria and Italy. He gave up school when he was 16 years old.
Sea Adventures
Tales of the sea made the young Conrad restless. At 16 he left Poland to work on French ships. At 20 he began 16 years with the British Merchant Navy, making adventurous voyages and rising from deckhand to command a ship of his own. Meanwhile he learned English and became a British subject.
England and Writing
In 1893, aged 36, Joseph Conrad finally settled down in England and began writing. Eventually, he became a British subject. His life at sea was a great source of stories. Faraway settings for his books include Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Africa. About a year later, he published his first novel, Almayer's Folly. That year he also married; he and his wife had two sons.
Conrad used exotic locations for his stories, usually about characters fighting powerful destructive forces torn between the good and evil. One of Conrad's finest short stories is "Heart of Darkness," based on his experiences in what was then the Belgian Congo, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Africa.
Late Success
Conrad gained the respect of famous writers such as John Galsworthy, Henry James and H.G. Wells. He only got his break when an American collector gave him a minimal pension in 1910 so that he was able to write more stories and novels. He did not become successful with a wider audience until his novel Chance came out when he was 56. By then two of his best books – Lord Jim and Nostromo – had also been published.
Joseph Conrad's Works
- Almayer's Folly, 1895
- The Nigger of the 'Narcissus', 1897
- Lord Jim, 1900
- 'Heart of Darkness', 1902
- Typhoon, 1903
- Nostromo, 1904
- The Secret Agent, 1907
- Under Western eyes, 1911
- Chance, 1913
Sources:
Cambridge Guide to Literature in English by Ian Ousby (1993)
Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring (1994)
