Books by Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was a novelist of Polish descent, born in what is now Ukraine in the Russian Empire. He became and apprentice on a British ship and became a British citizen in 1886, eventually leaving the sea to become a full-time writer.
“The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad may be one of the first espionage thrillers…It’s about anarchists in London at the turn of the century. The character at the heart of the book is instructed by his handler—a sinister foreign agent based in Britain, we don’t really know who they are—to go and plant a bomb at the Greenwich Observatory, an important landmark in London to this day. And without giving too much away, it all goes wrong. It’s tragic but it’s got a dark humor, which people who are fans of Joseph Conrad will be familiar with.” Read more...
“English was not Conrad’s first language but he wrote better in English than almost any of us can. I sense that the way he’s written this is very much in sympathy of an artificial colonial administrative structure that is foisted on another culture and then what horrors unfold as a consequence.” Read more...
The best books on Displacement
Michelle Jana Chan, Novelist
“What Conrad cares about is individuality—the possibility or impossibility of a world of individuals—and how each of them, each of us, might be trapped, or might resist being trapped, in the positions and circumstances into which we were born.” Read more...
Joshua Cohen, Novelist
“It was his first memoir, written in 1906…Conrad was a sailor and of course the sea is the context for many of his stories, but I was particularly interested in this non-fiction book. He’s fascinated by the psychological patterns: departure, how a captain feels when he first goes out to sea, how he refers back to the land. It’s the only book I know that really addresses all those issues head on. Conrad’s also very good on the language of the sea, which is endemic to sailing books….one of the great pleasures of the sea is that it requires a different language. A ship’s not just different to a land vehicle in shape, it’s different absolutely. And the language reflects that. There’s a phrase Conrad picks up when the anchor is dropped. The captain asks the man at the head, ‘how did it grow?’, referring to the way the anchor warp goes out from the bow of the ship – at what angle, at what speed. Conrad says no one who hasn’t actually seen the way an anchor warp goes out would understand why the term is used. It’s absolutely precise.” Read more...
Philip Marsden, Novelist
Interviews where books by Joseph Conrad were recommended
The best books on The Sea, recommended by Philip Marsden
The travel writer casts his net over books about the sea and comes up with a haul including Moby Dick and a naval history of Britain.
The Best Political Novels, recommended by Joshua Cohen
Through the writing of political novels, writers might hope to speak against their time, says the American author Joshua Cohen. Here he selects five books in which the protagonist undergoes a political education.
Public Domain Books
Public domain books are books on which the copyright has expired, which means they are often available for free on the internet. Copyright rules vary by country, but some of the classics of literature were written more than a century ago and are now in the public domain.
The best books on Displacement, recommended by Michelle Jana Chan
A sense of displacement is at the heart of many of our greatest works of literature. Here Vanity Fair travel editor Michelle Jana Chan discusses five brilliant novels dealing with this theme that influenced her debut Song.
The best books on Reportage and War, recommended by Martin Bell
The former BBC war reporter picks out essential reading on the Bosnia and Vietnam wars and explains why a book of poetry speaks more to him about the reality of conflict than any other writing
Spy Novels Based on Real Events, recommended by Charles Beaumont
James Bond novels may be a lot of fun to read, but as a depiction of life as a spy, they are pure fantasy. Novelist and ex-spy Charles Beaumont recommends five brilliant novels based on true events—and the manipulation and dishonesty that lie at the heart of espionage work.
The best books on Islamic Militancy, recommended by Jason Burke
Jason Burke, journalist and author of an acclaimed book on Al-Qaeda, tells us what he learnt about militants when he was caught in a firefight in Iraq—and suggests five books we should read to understand their motivations.
The Best London Novels, recommended by Iain Sinclair
A city of hidden depths and morbid fascination, by turns respectable and savage. Iain Sinclair picks five novels that capture the spirit and rich history of London.
The best books on Who Terrorists Are, recommended by Jessica Stern
International terror expert Jessica Stern takes a close look at the mind of the terrorist. She explores why people are drawn to extreme violence and how, in many cases, terrorists can build their identities around ideologies that they hold in an ultimately shallow way
