Writer, traveler, sailor and above all deeply tormented artist. Almost exclusively known for his authorship of the Heart of Darkness (this only as a result of it being adapted for the movie script of Apocalypse Now), which in my
humble opinion isn’t even his most brilliant novel. But well, the digital age and mass
culture are ruled by their own rights. Another interesting fact is that Conrad who regularly makes it to the list of 100 best British
authors of all times [i]rarely
makes it to any list of best Polish writers, even though in his everyday life he
has always markedly stressed his links with homeland. Owing to multiple misunderstandings and often bare ignorance shrouding his person it may be useful to shed some more light on the writer's life.
Difficult beginnings of a brilliant career
Joseph Conrad (as he is known to the bigger part of the world) was born
in Russian occupied part of the erstwhile Commonwealth of Poland in 1857 as Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski[ii].
After experiencing the harsh realities of life in which both Polish language
and culture were strongly persecuted by the tsarist state apparatus Conrad had
left the country at the age of 19 in order to take up employment in a sailing
company operating from France (succumbing to the trend of his times Conrad was fluent
in French, which undoubtedly influenced his life choices). There are not many
references to Poland and his personal life in his works. On the other hand, strong
character and restless spirit are well illustrated by his many attempts to renounce the Russian citizenship, which
finally bore fruit in 1889. What deserves further attention, some members of the staff of Russian embassy
in London are portrayed in one of his novels “The Secret Agent” as supporting
revolutionaries operating in Europe of his times.
One of the most extraordinary things concerning Conrad's life is the fact of him gaining fluency in English only in his middle 20’s, which didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most distinguished British writers of all times. Most of his novels cover exotic topics and examine life in distant lands, representing the way in which the Europeans perceived the so called Orient at the brink of the 20th century. They are thoroughly permeated by the spirit of adventure and
exploration. Interestingly, Conrad didn’t use any disparaging words (save from
the N word, which until recently was commonly used in everyday English) when talking
about cultures and civilizations the western world of his times still held in
deep contempt and his characters (often with striking easiness) assimilate into
foreign cultures.
Most of his characters are extraordinary in some respect: like
Nostromo full of bravado, others like a Dutch trader Almayer who decides to
settle down in colonial Indonesia, but doesn’t go on well with his local wife - remarkable
in their own ignorance and seclusion. Humans as portrayed by Conrad are full of deeply contradictory qualities ranging from selflessly sacrificing themselves for others
to utter contempt and disregard for the life of other human beings. Whether exhibiting positive or negative traits many of them seem to somehow function out of the mainstream
of society and live their respective lives on their own terms. What deserves further
attention, humans portrayed by Conrad are largely dependent on the whims of the
Fate, which holds many dramas up its sleeve.
It was enough, when you thought it over, to give you
the idea of an immense, potent, and invisible hand thrust into the ant-heap of
the earth, laying hold of shoulders, knocking heads together, and setting the
unconscious faces of the multitude towards inconceivable goals and in
undreamt-of directions.
Joseph Conrad "Typhoon"
Looking at the wild plethora of his characters one can hardly escape
the conviction of Conrad speaking himself through the actions of at least some of them as Conrad’s personal life was by no means free from disappointments and
problems shared by many of them-to the extent that at the age of 20 he attempted a suicide , which attempt
was fortunately unsuccessful. Some, personally familiar with the writer claim that Conrad had suffered from bipolar disease, characterized by swings of mood, ranging from severe depression to
bouts of elation and which interestingly enough also seems to be the ailment of at least few of his
characters.
Conrad, racist or not?
He has been repeatedly accused of racism[iii]
by modern publicists, however in my humble opinion this claim is fired at him
quite randomly or rather Joseph Conrad doesn’t really stand out in this regard,
for one would have to judge 80% of the authors writing before the 1970’s in
the same light. It is the case that he looks on some of non-European characters of his books through the prism of “the burden of the white man”, but simultaneously he shows a way more
respect and even empathy towards the foreign cultures than almost any other author writing in his lifetime. The
problems also lies in the fact that the majority of people discussing Conrad’s
works are merely familiar with The Heart of Darkness and utterly oblivious to strikingly positive way in which he portrays non-European cultures in some of his other works (for
instance Lord Jim). What deserves further attention, he had refused the offer of
knighthood made to him by the British Prime Minister in 1924 as a protest
against vicious colonial policy of the country that provided him with shelter,
but whose own heart of darkness he deeply opposed.
You can access most of Conrad’s published books and novels here for
free (legal source): http://gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/125
REFERENCES/FURTHER READ:
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