Joseph Conrad is a British writer, from whose pen came such fascinating works as “Heart of Darkness”, “Typhoon”, “Negro from Narcissus”.
Consciously distancing himself from the literary trends of his time, Joseph managed to fundamentally change the face of literature with his works. English Konrad, a Pole by birth, comprehended as an adult, and knew it so well that he taught it to people who spoke it from birth.
Joseph Conrad: biography
Joseph did not consider his life path, a vivid example for others, to be something outstanding. Twenty years spent on the high seas, getting to know different countries and cultures, meeting new people - is this not a life full of adventure?
Jozef Theodor Konrad Kozhenevsky was born on December 3, 1857. Hometown - Berdychiv (Ukraine). His father, a Polish nobleman Apollon Kozhenevsky, was a member of the Polish liberation movement, for which he was arrested by the Russian authorities and exiled to Vologda in 1861. Wife Evelina with Jozef, who at that time was 4 years old, went after her husband. In 1865, due to his wife’s illness, Apollo achieved transfer to Chernigov. However, this did not save the family from a heavy loss: Evelina died of consumption. Father and son first moved to Lviv, then to Krakow. In 1869, Jozef’s father passed away, leaving an 11-year-old boy an orphan. Guardianship over the child took an uncle on the maternal side - Tadeusz Bobrowski.
Life in the open sea
At age 16, tired of school life, Jozef decided to become a sailor. The young man left for Marseille, where he entered the French ship as a sailor.
Over the years of wanderings, Jozef had a chance to swim in various vessels; even had to smuggle weapons. He thoughtlessly wasted money. Being an avid player and a great tuner, after a major loss, he made an attempt to shoot himself, but unsuccessfully: the bullet passed near the heart.
Since 1878, he switched exclusively to English ships, since Russian citizenship did not allow sailing on the ships of the French fleet. During these 16 years of sailing he mastered the English language; In 1886 he received the captain's rank and British citizenship, in connection with which he officially changed his name to Joseph Conrad.
In 1890 he made a fascinating journey along
the Congo River. In the same period, he fell ill with rheumatism and malaria, which reminded himself of himself until the end of his life.
Meet John Galsworthy
Years of sailing allowed Joseph to stock up on a huge amount of knowledge about the inhabitants of different countries. The first story of the English writer was called “Black Navigator”, and the basis of the most important novel “Heart of Darkness” was formed by the impressions of a trip to Africa.
In 1893, Joseph became acquainted with the writer John Galsworthy, which grew into a long-lasting sincere friendship. The novice author gave the famous writer the manuscript of the novel “Caprice Olmeyer", which was published in 1895. Then the novels “The Exile”, “Lord Jim”, “The Negro from the Narcissus”, “Nostromo” and “The Heart of Darkness” saw the light.
The best books of Joseph Conrad
The story “Lord Jim” tells of the Patna steamer taking pilgrims to Mecca. The outbreak of bad weather contributes to the fact that the panicked team, together with the first assistant to captain Jim, decides to secretly leave the ship and leave the helpless passengers to the mercy of fate. Pilgrims escaped. The crew is awaiting trial. Jim, deprived of a license, was forced to move to a remote village of one of the Indonesian islands.
The novel “Heart of Darkness”, written under the impression of an 8-year stay in Africa, tells about the confrontation of nature and civilization. Based on the work, the script for the movie “Apocalypse Today” by Francis Ford Coppola was written.
In the novel The Negro with the Narcissus, Lord Jim Joseph Conrad talks about a merchant ship returning to the UK. Negro James Waite, in order to avoid performing routine work, pretended to be sick and believed in his own illness so much that upon arrival home he actually became ill and left the real world.
The last years of the author’s life
Joseph Conrad, whose books aroused genuine interest among a wide range of readers, became a popular writer in Europe, settled in London, leaving the sea due to poor health, and started a family. His wife was Jesse George. The couple had sons Boris and John.
In 1914, at the invitation of Yuzuf Retinger, a Polish writer, Konrad visited Poland, from where he hardly got out after the outbreak of the First World War. In 1921, preparing to write a novel about Waiting for Napoleon, he traveled to Corsica, and in 1923 to the United States.
Joseph Conrad Characteristic
Contemporaries described Conrad as a man with excellent manners of a Polish nobleman who in moments of calm was like a philosopher with an eagle profile. Being in a state of enthusiasm or irritation, he changed in appearance, became like a tiger, but very quickly calmed down and sank into himself.
Raised as a nobleman, Joseph Conrad, after spending about 20 years in the Navy, always remained a stranger among sailors. Therefore, the main of the themes of his works was the problem of loneliness, awareness of the futility of human existence, madness and obsession. The author contrasted them with indifference to difficulties, irony and pride. In his work, Konrad gave an important place to the routine feat, which is a part of everyday life for the heroes of his works.
Joseph Conrad died of a heart attack on August 3, 1924. He, at the zenith of fame, was not able to complete the novel “Waiting” about Napoleon’s flight from Elba. The heroes of the works of Conrad, as well as the English classic himself, are a vivid example of how to relate to life circumstances in order to come out of them as a winner, while preserving your face and remaining honest with yourself.