Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad (born Josef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski) was born in 1857 in Ukraine, which was then under Russian rule. His parents were fervent Polish patriots, activists, and exiles due to their anti-regime activities, and they passed away when Conrad was still young. For the next twenty-five years, his guardianship was informally taken over by his uncle and his mother's brother, Tadeusz Bobrowski, who in 1874 gave his consent for his nephew to become a sailor. Conrad began his maritime career in Marseille, where he first served on French merchant ships and later on an English one as a trainee. In 1886, he acquired British citizenship and the Master Mariner's certificate of the British Merchant Navy. Eight years later, he left the sea to devote himself entirely to writing, and in 1895 he published his first novel, "Almayer's Folly." In 1896, he married Jessie George and settled permanently in Kent, where he wrote well-known masterpieces such as "Heart of Darkness," "Lord Jim," "The Secret Agent," "Youth," "Typhoon," and others. Some of his works are considered "romantic," but his "romanticism" is imbued with intense irony, especially regarding the individual's ability to deceive themselves. Many critics regard him as a precursor to modernism. His narrative style and existential, anti-heroic characters have influenced many writers. Among his admirers were Henry James and Ford Madox Ford, with whom he collaborated on the writing of two novels.