The Shadow-Line

by Joseph Conrad

Written in 1915, The Shadow-Line is based upon events and experiences from twenty-seven years earlier to which Conrad returned obsessively in his fiction. A young sea captain's first command brings with it a succession of crises: his sea is becalmed, the crew laid low by fever, and his deranged first mate is convinced that the ship is haunted by the malignant spirit of a previous captain.

This is indeed a work full of "sudden passions," in which Conrad is able to show how the full intensity of existence can be experienced by the man who, in the words of the older Captain Giles, is prepared to "stand up to his bad luck, to his mistakes, to his conscience." A subtle and penetrating analysis of the nature of manhood, The Shadow-Line investigates varieties of masculinity and desire in a subtext that counters the tale's seemingly conventional surface.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, English Literature, Historical Fiction, Literature, Adventure, Audiobook

86 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1916

About the author

Joseph Conrad was a Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language and, although he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he became a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature. He wrote novels and stories, many in nautical settings, that depict crises of human individuality in the midst of what he saw as an indifferent, inscrutable, and amoral world.
Conrad is considered a literary impressionist by some and an early modernist by others, though his works also contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters, as in Lord Jim, for example, have influenced numerous authors. Many dramatic films have been adapted from and inspired by his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that his fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.
Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew on the national experiences of his native Poland—during nearly all his life, parceled out among three occupying empires—and on his own experiences in the French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world—including imperialism and colonialism—and that profoundly explore the human psyche.

Reviews

[Orsodimondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SHADOW LINE



Romanzo di ‘formazione’ per eccellenza sin dal titolo: la linea d’ombra è infatti quel momento – quell’esperienza che dura più di un momento, tramite e durante la quale si compie il rito di passaggio dalla giovinezza all’età adulta.
Si attraversa un territorio contrassegnato come linea d’ombra: è una transizione, come superare un parallelo o un meridiano.
Ma trattandosi d’ombra, si capisce che il momento/varco è sfumato, incerto, richiede più di un semplice passo. Più di un solo istante.



Ed è romanzo conradiano per eccellenza, tra i suoi più belli, secondo me: Conrad può travasare appieno tutta la sua vasta conoscenza marinara, ricorrendo spesso a terminologia tecnica – e utilizzare anche nel modo migliore la sua lunga esperienza di mare e frequentazione di quelle geografie (Singapore, Bangkok…).
E quindi, può mescolare tecnica marittima a esotismo immergendo il tutto in un bello spettro di psicologie. I suoi temi prediletti tutti insieme.
Sulle quali psicologie sovrasta quella del giovane protagonista io narrante, lasciato sempre senza nome.



Ufficiale in seconda, il nostro decide di abbandonare la nave sulla quale sta navigando perché sente che gli ha offerto tutta l’esperienza che poteva spremere.
Non sapendo come riempire il tempo nel suo soggiorno annoiato a Singapore, afferra al volo l’occasione di comandare un veliero che gli permette di fare il salto di carriera che temeva avrebbe richiesto molto più tempo.
È quindi ben felice di raggiungere Bangkok e salire a bordo della sua nave della quale sarà primo ufficiale.



Ma le ciambelle, come si dice, non sono tutte con il buco: questa, in particolare, impiegherà un bel po’ a svilupparlo.
E con bel po’ è da intendersi che l’esperienza da mettere in cantiere sarà dura ardua rischiosa, più che esageratamente lunga.
Il capitano che l’ha preceduto prima di suicidarsi ha lanciato una maledizione sulla nave, oltre ad avere fatto fuori tutta la scorta medica. E la maledizione si presenta subito in un secondo ufficiale riottoso e antagonista che molto probabilmente sperava di diventare il numero uno e adesso mal accetta di restare secondo sotto il comando di uno che ritiene pivello.



La maledizione s’infittisce con la bonaccia che tiene la nave immobile per settimane, mentre l’intero equipaggio s’ammala, e a bordo non ci sono medicine. Rimangono in piedi e attivi il solo capitano e il cuoco che aiutandosi l’un l’altro riescono a risolvere la situazione, fino al ritorno della brezza che porterà l’imbarcazione in porto.

Il giovane comandante avrebbe di che disperarsi e buttare la spugna: invece, resiste, non molla, supera l’esperienza, raggiunge e conquista la sua linea d’ombra, diventa ‘uomo’, adulto, si guadagna i galloni esistenziali di cui tutti abbiamo bisogno.

Il mare, la navigazione, la bonaccia, il vento, tutte le difficoltà a bordo son metafora trasparente dei perigli del vivere.


Tutte le immagini provengono dal film “Smuga cienia – Linea d’ombra” diretto da Andrzej Wajda nel 1976.

[Luís · Rating 3 out of 5]

For his first command, the young Conrad experiences many unfortunate incidents. First, he finds himself captaining a ship that seems frozen in the middle of the Far Eastern Sea after leaving the port. Tropical fevers strike down most of the crew. He also helps with a strange second superstition and a cardiac cook.
In Typhon, there is too much water and wind; in this one, there is not enough. This concise story, with chiseled writing, symbolizes the strange moment of latency when we gain autonomy, situating us between "I am incapable" and "I must do it."
That's a short novel whose action focuses on the captain's management of the situation and the ship, offering an enjoyable and captivating read.

[Axl Oswaldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written story which depicts the transition from youth to maturity, and also how a person has to overcome a lot of new responsibilities, but at the same time, embrace hope, dreams and goals.
An unnamed young man, who is also our protagonist, is about to take the captaincy in a boat in which he will have to make a lot of decisions and take new risks for the first time. Some obstacles and new experiences are going to be part of this journey at which these events (like a shadow line) will make the difference between who he used to be and who he will become.

Conrad's narrative is so descriptive, but truly delightful to read at the same time; you can tell how every phrase, every word is so accurate in order that you are able to appreciate both the story itself and the meaningful passages. I completely enjoyed seeing our protagonist's development and the fact that he is not the same person once you finish the novella – it was so satisfactory to read that ending, despite other facts. The story also reminded me of Youth, an earlier Conrad's story which is quite similar in its message to this one.
All in all, I highly recommend this book, it is definitely worth giving it a shot.

“I discovered how much of a seaman I was, in heart, in mind, and, as it were, physically—a man exclusively of sea and ships; the sea the only world that counted, and the ships, the test of manliness, of temperament, of courage and fidelity—and of love.”

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

"a man should stand up to his bad luck, to his mistakes, to his conscience and all that sort of thing Why--what else would you have to fight against?"
-- Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line



One of Conrad's later novels. This one was published in 1917. The story is pretty straight forward, the plot direct. It isn't an elaborate story, but one that explores that moment, that shadow-line between youth and adulthood. The basic story involves a young officer, suddenly thrust into command. During his first voyage he is tested and learns about strength, duty, obligation, etc. It is a story about maturity, wisdom, experience.

I'm not sure if my love of sea stories is directly tied to Conrad, or if my love of Conrad comes from my love of sea stories. The genre and the writer are both so closely mixed in my brain. What I do know is I love the morality of Conrad. I love his affection for men, for work, for duty, for the sea. I also love his modernist bent toward psychology and the untidy unknown. Mostly, I love the clean, tight precision of his prose (which often conflicts with his ambiguous narratives). This isn't top-shelf Conrad, but shouldn't be ignored by his devoted fans.

[Fernando · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Caminamos, y el tiempo también camina, hasta que, de pronto, vemos ante nosotros una línea de sombra advirtiéndonos que también habrá que dejar tras de nosotros la región de nuestra primera juventud.”

Amo leer historias de mar, de aventuras marinas, barcos, capitanes, oficiales a bordo, piratas o conquistadores y siempre declaro que "Moby Dick" es mi libro preferido de todos los tiempos.
Cuando uno quiere adentrarse en este tipo de aventuras debe siempre apoyarse en tres grandes exponentes de este tipo de relatos: Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson y naturalmente, Joseph Conrad.
Sin estos tres grandes escritores, este tipo de novelas serían una rareza o un tipo de literatura menor. Ellos transformaron al mar en uno de los personajes más importantes de la literatura.
En "La línea de sombra", Conrad vuelve a captar mi atención, como en otros libros suyos que leí, en primer lugar el fantástico, bello y contundente estilo narrativo, con su lenguaje refinado y convincente. En segundo lugar, porque cada una de sus historias cuenta con un encanto particular.
En esta corta novela suya, el personaje principal, un joven capitán que se hace a la mar por primera vez al mando de un barco, el 'Melita', sufre la extraña irrupción de una fiebre tropical que ataca y enferma a toda su tripulación con la excepción de él, aunque debe apoyarse en su primer oficial Burns y su cocinero Ransome, quienes no están tan afectados como el resto.
Pareciera ser que el barco está condenado. Su anterior capitán también ha muerto en circunstancias similares a bordo del barco y el temo y la desconfianza se apodera de él y de todos.
De buenas a primeras, el barco entrará en altamar casi a la deriva y quedará a merced del viento, un clima opresivo y una tensión nerviosa que irá mellando rápidamente el ánimo de todos los marinos a bordo.
En contraposición a su otra novela "Tifón", donde la acción desesperante no da descanso al lector, nos encontramos con un situación de tensísima calma y estado de suspenso en el que uno no sabe cómo puede terminar la historia.
La carga psicológica del joven capitán va en un crescendo constante y sobre el capítulo final Conrad nos irá llevando muy de a poco a un desenlace que cuando comenzamos a leer el libro no imaginamos.
Le quedará a este hombre la única opción de enfrentar su destino y las circunstancias adversas que puedan surgir, como en la vida, pues este es el significado real de la novela.
Sólo escritores del calibre de Conrad pueden lograr que en pocas páginas que la acción, sea intensa o no, logre absorber la atención del lector para no poder despegar sus ojos del libro.
Joseph Conrad nunca me decepciona.

[Davide · Rating 4 out of 5]

God only knows

[La linea d'ombra è quanto di più lontano da un libro basato su colpi di scena e sorprese della trama; ma segnalo comunque che commentando farò riferimenti precisi a nomi e avvenimenti]





La prima forte impressione - per una lettura che, nella mia piccola tradizione personale di leggere sempre qualcosa di Conrad ogni agosto davanti al mare, viene dopo Nostromo e Lord Jim - è di una estrema semplicità narrativa.

In effetti questo è tutto un racconto filato, in prima persona (se vogliamo collocarlo nel quadro proposto da Genette, qui si tratta di un narratore omodiegetico/extradiegetico, quindi esattamente l’opposto del Marlowe narratore eterodiegetico/intradiegetico di Lord Jim e Heart of darkness); e di un’unica vicenda, lineare, che va dal subito prima al subito dopo il primo viaggio di un primo comando.

Ma è una linearità circolare. L’insieme infatti ha una forma ad anello: il giovane ufficiale che racconta, a distanza, il suo primo incarico da capitano, superata la prova e superata la Shadow-Line che ormai lo separerà per sempre dalla prima giovinezza (un’altra linea di separazione che si può intravedere è il passaggio dall’era dei velieri a quella dei vapori), ritorna nel porto dove è cominciata la narrazione. E ritorna a parlare con la stessa persona dell’inizio, il capitano Giles.

L'inzio è piuttosto memorabile: «It was in an Eastern port». Questo punto di partenza e di ritorno non è nominato ma dovrebbe essere Singapore, visto che il racconto riprende esperienze del primo - e unico - incarico di Conrad come capitano, sul brigantino Otago nel 1888. È nominato invece il porto dove lo aspetta la nave: Bangkok.

I due elementi centrali del libro, fortemente conradiani, emergono subito: il mare come grande banco di prova esistenziale e l’incontro con diversi caratteri (ad esempio il borioso fallito e incompetente Hamilton contrapposto all’esperto, sornione e buono, anche se un po' irritante per il protagonista, capitano Giles).

Palpabile è l'entusiasmo della prima volta da capitano, rivissuto nel ricordo; centrato sul rapporto come d’amore con la nave, e sul «sense of the intensity of existence»:

«I discovered how much of a seaman I was, in heart, in mind, and, as it were, physically – a man exclusively of sea and ships; the sea the only world that counted, and the ship, the test of manliness, of temperament, of courage and fidelity – and of love.»

L’incarico si presenta subito irto di difficoltà, si sommano l'ostilità del primo ufficiale, che sperava di ottenere lui il comando, le febbri che assalgono tutta la ciurma, una bonaccia assoluta, appena interrotta da insufficienti momenti di debole vento, che rende infinito l'attraversamento del Golfo del Siam. E alla fine la sfida sovrumana di far entrare in porto un grosso veliero praticamente senza equipaggio.

La navigazione è certo l’esistenza. [L’edizione Oscar Mondadori che ho letto usa come introduzione un saggio di Ian Watt che condensa efficacemente così il rapporto tra idee generali e vivida rappresentazione della realtà empirica in Conrad: «ci fa vedere al di là, ma mai in modo tale da mettere in secondo piano la realtà […]. Dopo tutto lui era un platonico che si ritrovò tra empiristi: un polacco fra gli anglosassoni.»]. E quindi, certamente, va affrontata cercando di essere all’altezza dei momenti di prova che arrivano per tutti: come dice il capitano Giles: «Precious little rest in life for anybody. Better not think of it.».

Ma la prova da superare è, diciamo così, più una prova di debolezza che di forza. Non serve imporsi ma piuttosto occorre resistere, riuscire a sopravvivere alle avversità estreme, accettare anche i travagli più nascosti dentro di sé e non esserne sovrastati.
La linea è d’ombra anche perché significa affrontare le proprie paure: il proprio buio interiore. E Conrad rende questo significato principalmente attraverso l'inserimento nel corso della narrazione di pagine di diario del protagonista-narratore.
E non a caso il momento più duro, che porta alla svolta, avviene di notte: l'ombra da superare diventa un’oscurità così completa da essere quasi tangibile.

In un certo senso, allora, The Shadow Line è l’anti-Typhoon: l’avversario non è la forza scatenata degli elementi, ma al contrario l’incontro potenzialmente letale di debolezze, sfinimenti e immobilità: «the evil powers of calm and pestilence».

Tutti i marinai ammalati, con febbri ricorrenti che li lasciano totalmente spossati, sono ridotti a fantasmi di sé stessi; il primo ufficiale, altrettanto malato e indebolito, è ossessionato dalla presenza aleggiante del terribile vecchio capitano della nave, morto e sepolto in mare, che nel suo vaneggiare vede come la fonte attiva e crudele di tutti i guai presenti.
Quindi si può anche leggere come il racconto di una nave di quasi fantasmi in lotta contro un crudele fantasma che emana distruzione dal mare.

E ancora, straordinaria ironia crudele, l’unico uomo valido, non in preda alle febbri, è il cuoco Ransome, marinaio puro, sapiente e elegante in ogni scelta e in ogni movimento ma minato internamente da una malattia cardiaca che lo mette in pericolo di vita ad ogni sforzo eccessivo. E l'importanza di questa presenza è confermata dall'ultima scena del libro, che si chiude proprio su Ransome, che porta in sé «our common enemy», la morte, che «it was his hard fate to carry consciously within his faithful breast».

Ma in un altro senso The Shadow Line è l’anti- Lord Jim : sia come forma della narrazione, sia come forma di vita. La sconfitta oppure il superamento della prova centrale si riverbera su tutto il resto dell'esistenza.
L’accostamento è rafforzato dalla presenza, anche qui, di un momento in cui scatta qualcosa prima della volontà cosciente dell’individuo (come il terribile tempo passato dell'«ero saltato» di Jim, subito seguito da un presente ancora incredulo: «sembra»).

Però la distanza tra chi supera con successo la linea d’ombra e chi rimane immerso tragicamente nelle sue oscurità non è gigantesca. E probabilmente non è mai conseguita una volta per tutte: alla fine, quando Giles chiede al protagonista-narratore se è forse «faint-hearted», la sincera risposta è «God only knows, Captain Giles».
Ed è la risposta giusta, perché non si può dare nulla per acquisito e «A man has to learn everything – and that’s what so many of them youngsters don’t understand.»

Ma né il narratore né l'autore, ormai, sono più dei "giovanotti"! E la dedica del volume sarà allora al figlio Borys (che andava a combattere come ufficiale sul fronte francese della prima guerra mondiale) e a quelli come lui che devono affrontare la linea d’ombra della loro generazione.

[Ivana Books Are Magic · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE SHADOW LINE: A CONFESSION

The novella opens up with a young narrator, who actually does a pretty good of explaining the novel’s title (the shadow line) in the first paragraph:

" Only the young have such moments. I don’t mean the very young. No. The very young have, properly speaking, no moments. It is the privilege of early youth to live in advance of its days in all the beautiful continuity of hope which knows no pauses and no introspection.
One closes behind one the little gate of mere boyishness—and enters an enchanted garden. Its very shades glow with promise. Every turn of the path has its seduction. And it isn’t because it is an undiscovered country. One knows well enough that all mankind had streamed that way. It is the charm of universal experience from which one expects an uncommon or personal sensation—a bit of one’s own. One goes on recognizing the landmarks of the predecessors, excited, amused, taking the hard luck and the good luck together—the kicks and the half-pence, as the saying is—the picturesque common lot that holds so many possibilities for the deserving or perhaps for the lucky. Yes. One goes on. And the time, too, goes on—till one perceives ahead a shadow-line warning one that the region of early youth, too, must be left behind."

This is not a classical coming of age story, it is more a story of a man no longer ‘very young’ who is about to become ‘mature’ and ‘adult’ in the full sense of the word. This man decided to quit his job without any reason ( presumably being caught up in the restlessness of ‘not very young’ ) but soon he will be forced to mature- for what is more adult that command? With the help of captain Giles (an interesting fellow) he learns of a job that would otherwise be unknown to him- that of a captain. So, suddenly our narrator is promoted into a captain (his first such position) and sets off to command his ship.

.A ship! My ship! She was mine, more absolutely mine for possession and care than anything in the world; an object of responsibility and devotion. She was there waiting for me, spell-bound, unable to move, to live, to get out into the world (till I came), like an enchanted princess. Her call had come to me as if from the clouds. I had never suspected her existence. I didn’t know how she looked, I had barely heard her name, and yet we were indissolubly united for a certain portion of our future, to sink or swim together!



The narrator/protagonist founds her to be a beauty indeed- but somewhat of a cursed beauty. Turns out that our femme fatale had quite a past- and she is about to cause more trouble. Soon the protagonist learns that the former captain had been mad. His first officer Mr. Burns, tells him the story in detail. Here we have a touch of ‘framed narrative’ but apart from that, the whole story is narrated by our protagonist. What follows is what could be described as ‘ghost story’ though Conrad was against that kind of reading. It seems that the ship is being haunted by the spirit of the dead captain. Now, I think that the writer meant this to be more psychological thriller than a paranormal story, but everyone is free to select a preferred reading. I personally think that the story is interesting enough from a psychological point of view, so I didn’t really read it as a ghost story- more like a story of men under severe psychological and physical pressure.

THE NARRATIVE AND THE PLOT

Unlike some of the other Conrad’s works, the narrative is neither framed nor very complex. Told by an unknown narrator, the narrative is actually pretty straight-forward and well-paced. Often Conrad’s novel have an unusual pacing. I have never had a problem with this, because when it comes to his novels, I always felt that his writing choices and his rhythm were justified. Often in his works, a slower introduction sets the atmosphere and lets you sink into the story really well. Likewise, a slower progress often provides a startling contrast to the end. However, here we have a simple story with a good rhythm. The plot is fairly simple but written flawlessly. The first person narrator is credible and well portrayed. His narrative voice makes perfect sense. The ending was masterfully written. It was not as mind-blowing as some of his endings, but it was perfect for this novella. All in all, the story was a great read as such and it gets extra points because it is well- Conrad.



MADNESS

If you pay attention to it, there is a lot of mentioning of ‘madness’ in the novel. Whether it is used for a dramatic effect or foreshadowing, I’m not sure, but the references are there early on. First, the narrator does something a bit crazy ( leaves his job) and gets call mad for it and then he suspects that captain Giles might be (despite being professionally very capable) a mad man. Soon he learns of his mistake and realizes that captain Giles was only looking out for him by discovering a job opportunity that would otherwise have been hidden from him. However, soon the protagonists says to captain Giles that the man who tried to hide the job from him (the steward) might be mad- for would risk losing his job to get rid of a minor nuisance? When the protagonist arrives to claim his ship, he learns that his predecessor was positively mad. During his voyage, he grows assured that Mr. Burns is mad as well. Finally, the protagonists doubts his own sanity. Charma- one might say. When you accuse everyone of madness, you get accused yourself.

All in all, I found all that talk about madness fascinating, perhaps because I liked the way in which the sanity was at times questioned. I felt like Conrad was aiming at something more, making us question ourselves. Perhaps there are two shadow- lines that get examined in this novel, one is the line between ‘not very young’ and ‘mature’ and the other a line between sanity and madness. I think the issue of keeping one’s sanity was well addressed. It is important for the dramatic aspect of the story but it doesn’t stop at that. You can see the protagonist slowly maturing. It seems like it took him ‘almost going mad himself’ to actually achieve more clearness and maturity in his thinking. When the protagonist first beholds the ship, he acts like an enamoured schoolboy. Was that the cause of his perhaps rushed departure from port? However, with time (not a great amount of time actually), our captain grows more ‘mature’ and acts according to his position.

There is one character that is somewhat of an ideal- the character Ransome. I was thinking how perhaps Ransome is presented as an ideal of a mentally stable man. Under extreme pressure, he remains calm. His calmness has a profound impact on our protagonist- the captain. Ironically, this man Ransome- – the ship’s cook, the only one who keeps his complete calm, has a serious heart condition. At one point in the novel, he risks his life-is it an act of nobility or madness? Where is the line? Similarly, is the crew mad to trust the captain? Is the captain mad to trust the crew? Is he mad to trust himself? As I said, sanity is examined in an interesting way. It is not directly talked about, but during that inferno journey in particular, one gets to see a fascinating exploration of human psychology.


THE CHARACTERS

I already said a bit about the characters when I spoke about the madness element in this book. For a Conrad’s book, there are not that many of them. In addition, because of the shortness of the book, they are not described in great detail. Nevertheless, a few of them do stand out. Captain Giles, for example, serves both as an initiator of the plot and the one to end it. The narrator’s conversation with him closes the circle of the narrative, sort of speak. Mr. Burns and Ransome are important characters as well. There are other members of ship’s crew that are identified and described but they don’t have a vital role as these two do. These other crew men do make the story seem more credible and add to the atmosphere, but they are not independent characters as such. On overall, I would say that Conrad managed to portray his characters very well, developing them as the story progressed. No lengthy descriptions and long meditations on human nature this time- but that doesn’t mean he is not as good as a writer to make his characters come to life-for he sure is.

As to the protagonist of the novel, I felt that by the end of the story he was a well-rounded character- a lot sadder, but also a lot wiser. I wonder, though, what is our narrator confessing to? What does he felt guilty for? The fact he didn’t check the medicine? Something he should have perhaps thought of, but is it really something he should feel so guilty about? The fact he didn’t think that much of the men aboard the ship and was at first mostly enchanted with HER (the ship)? As a captain he should have taken better care of his crew and not be so restless to get HER to the sea- or is it really a combination of all of these things? Don’t we all do things that we regret and are ashamed of? I suppose he had as much to regret as the next man.

THE SEA AND THE SEAMAN

Among other things, this is definitely a novel about seaman. What it means to be a seaman, what it feels like, what is the code of conduct- you’ll learn something about it here. If you enjoy a good mariner’s tale, look no further. You will find absolutely convincing descriptions of life at sea. There are few writers who write so eloquently about the sea. In this novel, descriptions of the sea and life on board are spot on. You really have a feeling like you’re there, with the crew, caught up with them in that windless inferno.

THE BALANCE OF POWER

There is no doubt that there is also a question of power here. The narrator compares himself – the captain with a monarch. He maintains that a captain must appear like a monarch, a God sent figure to the sailors- because they do not understand the process by which the company elects one. I found that really interesting, especially in the latter context of the story. The first officer Mr. Burns apparently wanted to become a captain himself- whether from ambition or simply because he by that time felt responsible for the ship is unclear. There is a bit of struggle for dominance between the two.

Our protagonist commands the men- the ultimate responsibility is on him. I don’t think he realizes (until later on in the story) what exactly does this mean. Our protagonists is literally responsible for their lives. The relationship between the crew and the captain can be a metaphor for the balance of power but even on its own it is very interesting to observe.

NO FEMALE CHARACTERS- OR ARE THERE?

Unless we count one mysterious reference (to a woman late ‘crazy’ captain was involved with), there is no mention of women in this novel. The narrator himself admits that when Mr. Burns pleaded with him to take him on for the sake of his wife and kids, he felt nothing- but when Burns addressed him as a fellow seaman, he was moved into action. The narrator showed no wish of getting married in the novel (actually thought it was a bizarre notion), perhaps because he married to his true love- the sea.

The only ‘she’ in this book is the ship….and she is a beauty. I was honestly moved by the way narrator describes being nervous as a lover when he was going to see HER- a ship he was to command. The writer/narrator keeps on comparing the ship with a beautiful woman. In retrospective, there might be some symbolism there. The late captain was ‘perhaps’ ruined because he was seduced by a woman, in a similar way our captain/narrator gets seduced by the ship. So, you can find the metaphorical Eve, sort of speak. Still, basically, it is a novel without female characters. Something that I don’t mind at all, because I’m not a militant feminist who is obsessed with that sort of thing- but just so you know.


TO WHOM WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK

Firstly, I would recommend it to those who want to read something from Conrad but are not fans of the complex narrative or lengthy descriptions that this writer often employs. In other words, if you struggled with his other works or even gave up on reading him, perhaps this is a good choice for you.

Secondly, if you’re looking for something a bit shorter but still substantial, this novella might be just what you need. It is not a difficult read as it comes with a fairly simple plot, but at the same time, it is profound enough to challenge your brain cells. I absolutely feel that it is one of those books that can offer you multiple readings.

Thirdly, if you are a Conrad fan, they you should read it just because. It may not be the best or the most profound thing written by him, yet it is definitely worth reading.


CONCLUSION

I would describe The Shadow Line more as a psychological thriller meets The Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner that a ‘coming of age’ story but I can see how some might read it as a YA/ghost/ adventure tale. This novella is not as complex as some of other Conrad’s work, but the writing is (in my view) simply brilliant. For when a good story meets with excellent writing, you do get something noteworthy. It is so well written that I deem this novella worthy of a five star mark. Every sentence seems to matter and the timing throughout the novel is pretty much perfect.

The characters are interesting and well portrayed. One gets to know them more through their actions and thoughts, then through long descriptions, though. The psychological depth with which Conrad’s usually draws his characters is somewhat missing (perhaps due to the brevity of the novella), but the atmosphere of the book makes up for it. There is that quality of timelessness that I love about his works. Moreover, it is more melancholic than pessimistic, not as dark as some of his other works- and that’s not bad for a change. As brief as this novel was, I still had that priceless feeling of glancing into human souls- and what more could a girl ask for?

[Algernon (Darth Anyan) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the privilege of early youth to live in advance of its days in all the beautiful continuity of hope which knows no pause and no introspection.
One closes behind on the little gate of mere boyishness – and enters an enchanted garden. Its very shades glow with promise. Every turn of the path has its seduction. And it isn’t because it is an undiscovered country. One knows well enough that all mankind had streamed that way.

Reading last month my first novel by Brett Easton Ellis, a fictional account of his life at seventeen, I was sort of driven into revisiting my own experiences of crossing the shadow-line, from careless youth to stressed-out adulthood. In the midst of that deluge of music, books and movie references that Ellis uses to bring back to life the year 1981, I tried to remember who would be the icon of that period in my life. One of the answers is Joseph Conrad, the writer who contributed the most to my plans to become a sailor, probably at that time as a means of escape from my real life and from the typical teenager angst I was going through.

So, long story short, Ellis made me want to revisit my youth in the form of re-reading Conrad, and I couldn’t have picked a better novella to illustrate my point than this one. Objectively, The Shadow Line is not Conrad’s best, as it re-treads a lot of the themes that are presented in the better known ‘Youth’ and ‘Typhoon’, but it hits all the right buttons in me still, confirming Conrad’s status among my literary idols, after all these years.

Yes. One goes on. And the time, too, goes on – till one perceives ahead a shadow-line warning one that the region of early youth, too must be left behind.
This is the period of life in which such moments of which I have spoken are likely to come. What moments? Why, the moments of boredom, of weariness, of dissatisfaction. Rash moments. I mean moments when the still young are inclined to commit rash actions, such as getting married suddenly or else throwing up a job for no reason.

Conrad’s secret weapon is to make his sea stories into allegories of life, timeless and universally valid across cultures and historical backgrounds. Who amongst us doesn’t remember the moment they crossed the shadow-line from careless, starry-eyed youth into the toil and worry of adulthood? It’s a rite of passage we all go through, rushing ahead into the future with our hearts out on a sleeve, careless of well-laid plans or of consequences.

The first-person narrator of the novella is a young officer on a ship trading among the spice islands of the Far East, in the last years of the age of sail. He is well regarded by his superiors and by his crew, yet he is restless, unable to settle down into the routine his life has become.

It was one of those moments, you know. The green sickness of late youth descended on me and carried me off. Carried me off that ship, I mean.

So he throws it all away without any back-up plans, hoping that something better will eventually drift his way. The young man ends up in one of those sleepy Oriental ports, waiting for a ship back to Europe and waiting for a sign about what the future has in hold for him. His old captain is loath to see him go, but apparently he sees something of his own past in the young man’s rashness:

As I was going out of his cabin he added suddenly, in a peculiar wistful tone, that he hoped I would find what I was so anxious to go and look for. A soft, cryptic utterance which seemed to reach deeper than any diamond-hard tool could have done. I do believe he understood my case.

... and with these simple words, here is old me once again forced to look back at the folly of youth with a wistful, yearning smile.

>>><<<>>><<<

Throwing your whole life overboard like excess baggage is a sign of youth, of still sailing the bright seas before crossing the shadow-line. The young man is still driven by dreams of his future, by hope and by the glimpse of an enchanted garden-world. Into this world, another allegorical figure is introduced:

Captain Ellis looked upon himself as a sort of divine (pagan) emanation, the deputy-Neptune for the circumambient seas. If he didn’t actually rule the waves, he pretended to rule the fate of the mortals whose lives were cast upon the waters.

The captain and the young man are staying at a hotel for unemployed sailors, waiting for a sign from Fate. This comes in the form of a summons to the Harbour Master where the young man is offered his heart’s secret desire: not to abandon the sea and his career, but to become master of his own destiny.

A ship! My ship! She was mine, more absolutely mine for possession and care than anything in the world; an object of responsibility and devotion. She was there waiting for me, spell-bound, unable to move, to live, to get out into the world (till I came), like an enchanted princess.

Conrad, with his classical education, is probably well aware of the Greek tragedies where the gods are cursing you by offering you what you asked for. The ship the young man is offered has been abandoned in Bangkok, at the top of what was known then as the Gulf of Siam. The death of its former captain is said to have laid a curse on the ship and on its crew. But for the young man, the offer is the answer to all his prayers.

A sudden passion of anxious impatience rushed through my veins, gave me such a sense of intensity of existence as I have never felt before or since.

He knows he is up to the task, that this is what he really wants to do with his life and what he has trained himself for. So he jumps at the chance with a young man’s impetuosity. And nothing the gods will throw against him will make him deviate from his course... or so he thinks before he has to deal with the realities of putting a ship to sea in dangerous waters.

All roads are long that lead towards one’s heart desire. But this road my mind’s eye could see on a chart, professionally, with all its complications and difficulties, yet simple enough in a way. One is a seaman or one is not. And I had no doubt of being one.

>>><<<>>><<<

The shadow-line is fast approaching, yet the young man is rushing forward to meet his destiny. For all my sense of dread induced by decades of experiencing how life manages to knock down your dreams, I cheered for the young man as he climbs aboard his new command. Is it not the domain of youth to forge ahead regardless of the voices of caution?

Yes. I had my hands full of complications which were most valuable as ‘experience’. People have a great opinion of the advantages of experience. But in this connection experience means always something disagreeable as opposed to the charm and innocence of illusions.

The port authorities are dragging their feet, the loading of supplies is bogged down by corrupt suppliers, the crew is laid down by yellow fever, with his second in command, Mr. Burns, the worst case. The only man aboard who seems all right and competent is the captain’s steward, Ransome, but even he must be careful of not stressing his weak heart.
Yet no obstacle can stop youth from forging ahead. The ship eventually sails down into the doldrums of the tropic, to be held there indefinitely by the lack of wind, while more of the crewmen are laid down by fever and while the medical supplies turned out to have been stolen onshore.

The darkness had risen around the ship like a mysterious emanation from the dumb and lonely waters. I leaned on the rail and turned my ear to the shadows of the night. Not a sound. My command might have been a planet flying vertiginously on its appointed path in a space of infinite silence.

A captain is responsible not only for the ship and for its cargo, but also for the well-being of the crew. The young man takes all the right decisions, yet he can get no break from the fickle gods who like to play dice with the lives of mortals. The cursed ship is lost at sea, with a hurricane fast approaching. Even as the elements of the story become familiar from other Conrad settings, I cannot help but be gripped anew by his life lessons about how a man is not brought down by adversity if he steers a true course through the stormy waters.

The difficulties, the dangers, the problems of a ship at sea must be met on deck.

As it happened before in his stories, Conrad’s sea tales reach deeper and wider into what it means to be human, into what the turning points of a life are. We will cross that shadow-line again ourselves as the doomed ship is racing down the tropical seas in complete darkness, hoping against all signs that a welcoming shore lies somewhere ahead.

Then he observed sagely:
“You must feel jolly well tired by this time.”
“No,” I said. “Not tired. But I’ll tell you, Captain Giles, how I feel. I feel old. And I must be. All of you on shore look to me just like a lot of skittish youngsters that have never known a care in the world.”

In the space of a couple of weeks, the enthusiasm of youth, the belief in dreams coming true, is left behind, and a new man is contemplating a more realist view of what life holds in store for him. His friend, the second-hand Neptune of the spice islands, reminds him that you can learn even from bad experiences, and that you must eventually become philosophical about it all:

“Precious little rest in life for anybody. Better not think of it.”
[...]
... a man should stand up to his bad luck, to his mistakes, to his conscience and all that sort of thing. Why – what else would you have to fight against.

>>><<<>>><<<

Joseph Conrad was already among my top authors, but this was based almost exclusively on lectures done in my teens. I find it reassuring that he is just as convincing when I read him now, while carrying my own baggage of bad luck, mistakes, conscience and all that sort of thing.
I hope I will be able to continue to re-read his other stories soon.

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ho sempre amato questo romanzo di Conrad. Lo rileggo regolarmente quando la ‘calmeria di scirocco’ rende l’aria irrespirabile. Rivivo col protagonista quel primo comando di una nave, una nave tutta sua cui dedica uno sguardo che molte donne probabilmente invidierebbero:

“La mia nave era [...] una di quelle creature che, solo per il fatto di esistere, risvegliano nell’animo un piacere disinteressato. Si sente che è bello vivere nel mondo nel quale esse vivono. Si irradiava da lei quell’illusione di vita e di carattere che è propria degli oggetti più belli creati dalla mano dell’uomo.
[...]
Che cos’erano ormai per me tutti i paesi del globo terrestre? In tutte le parti del mondo, bagnate da acque navigabili, il nostro rapporto sarebbe stato identico – e più intimo e stretto di quanto le parole non possano esprimere. Al di fuori di questo, qualsiasi scena, qualsiasi episodio sarebbero stati immagini meramente effimere”.

È una storia di passione e di iniziazione, il racconto di quando si supera all’improvviso quella linea d’ombra che “ci avvisa che bisogna lasciarsi alle spalle anche la regione della prima giovinezza”. È la vita da marinaio che il protagonista si rende conto di amare sopra ogni cosa, quella solidarietà tra uomini legati dalle difficoltà di una navigazione non sempre sicura e non sempre facile. È il mare a colmare il senso di vuoto iniziale e la fine del viaggio lo troverà cambiato.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to an audiobook version, which was included with my Audible membership. It comes in at just under 5 hours.

The book opens with an Introduction by Conrad, in which he rejects the suggestion, put forward by some readers, that the book deals with supernatural events. I’ve got mixed feelings about his explanation, as for me part of the fun of fiction is drawing my own conclusions about a novel, however wrong they may be. Still, Conrad obviously felt strongly about the subject. I can see why people concluded that the book did feature supernational events. Had I not read Conrad’s Intro I would probably have drawn that conclusion myself.

The novel is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator, and to begin with I didn’t really take to him. He seemed an impatient man, intolerant of the weaknesses of others. Gradually though I came to realise that the novel is a coming-of-age tale, and I concluded the narrator’s less admirable traits were included deliberately to illustrate his immaturity at the beginning of the story.

The narrator, a young officer of the merchant marine, gets his first command when he is appointed as captain of a British ship in the harbour at Bangkok. The ship’s previous captain has died at sea. Delays with cargo lead to the ship spending several weeks at Bangkok, during which the entire crew – minus the narrator and one other man - come down with malaria. The vessel eventually puts to sea but recurring bouts of the disease render the men effectively incapable, and to cap everything the ship is becalmed in the Gulf of Siam. The young captain keenly feels the stress of this apparently jinxed first command.

The narrator apart, the only other sailor who escapes the malaria is Ransome, an experienced seaman but one who has signed on as the ship’s cook. A weak heart has left him unable to carry out the arduous duties demanded of Jack-before-the-Mast. Despite his frailty Ransome provides significant psychological support to the young captain. I felt therefore that he represents the traditional father-figure. Whilst he suffers from the physical weaknesses brought on by age, he makes up for it with the calmness and sagacity that derive from years of experience.

Although this is one of Conrad’s later novels, published in 1917, the story is told retrospectively by the narrator, and the setting aboard a sailing ship gives it a 19th century feel. Personally I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Typhoon. It’s still an absorbing tale though.

[sigurd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nel petto fedele

Mi hanno chiesto perchè ho riletto questo libro tre volte. Ho dovuto dire in realtà che non si tratta della terza rilettura. Lo leggo ogni anno. Ho questa buona abitudine. Non è troppo lungo per impegnarmi troppo, nè troppo breve da lusingarmi del suo pieno possesso. Ciò che possiedo di 'The Shadow Line' è invero molto poco.
Ha le caratteristiche giuste per attrarre le mie esigenze di lettore - una macchina perfetta che viaggia con il vento in poppa nonostante il ristagno della bonaccia che ivi si racconta - e le doti giuste per plasmare quest'essere che sono e che si sta formando e che si fatica a chiamare uomo. Intravedo la mia linea d'ombra, ma non ne ho la certezza e non vorrei fosse un miraggio o, peggio ancora, una fata morgana.

Il racconto è una storia d'amore. Oserei dire la migliore storia d'amore mai scritta. Ma non vi inganni l'ampiezza dell'intrare, no. Questa non è una storia di matrimoni o altre cose del genere. Però leggete e ditemi:

Ponendomi la mano sulla spalla mi fece voltare un poco, mentre con l'altro braccio indicava. "Eccola! Quella è la vostra nave, capitano" disse.
Sentii un tuffo al cuore. Fu un colpo solo, come se il cuore dovesse cessar di battere. (...) Sì, era là. Il suo scafo, le sue attrezzature mi riempivano gli occhi di gioia. Quel sentimento di vuotezza che mi aveva reso tanto inquieto negli ultimi mesi perse la sua amara plausibilità, la sua mala influenza, dissolto in un flusso di liete emozioni.

Non vi sembrano questi gli accenti di un cuore innamorato? Ma Conrad non manca di stupirci - descrivendola quasi fosse la sua donna, la sua amata - e di commuoverci:

Al primo colpo d'occhio vidi che era un vascello d'alta classe, una creatura armoniosa nelle linee del corpo ben fatto, nell'altezza proporzionata delle sue alberature. (...) Tra le sue compagne ormeggiate a sponda, tutte più grandi di lei, sembrava una creature di nobile stirpe - un destriero arabo in una squadra di cavalli da tiro.

Il racconto avrebbe dovuto intitolarsi 'Primo comando' come ci dice Conrad nella sua nota, perchè nasceva dall'inesperienza del giovane autore come comandante, per la prima volta, di nave; ma il racconto si intitolò 'la linea d'ombra' e mai titolo fu più suggestivo e interpretabile.
Cos'è la linea d'ombra?
E' Conrad stesso a spiegarci e svelarne il senso. Chiunque abbia visto una linea in questo romanzo penso sia fuori strada. Non c'è un momento in cui noi sentiamo che questa linea è stata attraversata, eppure il protagonista alla fine è cambiato, ha un'aria diversa. "Mi sento vecchio. Tutti voi a terra mi sembrate un mucchio di giovincelli bizzosi" dice al capitano Giles dopo aver scampato un naufragio. Eppure quella linea continua ad essere indefinita, appunto in ombra.
La nave è stata colta dalle febbri tropicali e tutto l'equipaggio si è ammalato, tranne il capitano e il cuoco Ransome, che è però malato di cuore. In più la scorta di chinino che avrebbe dovuto mantenerli vivi è stata ingannevolmente distrutta dall'ex-capitano, in pieno delirio di onnipotenza e di distruzione. Gli unici a non ammalarsi sono proprio quelli che hanno un male dentro, che soffrono interiormente. E che si trovano a dover combattere una partita che diventa più seria del previsto. Il capitano, giovane che ha abbandonato tutto ritrovandosi questa grande opportunità del primo comando, e Ransome, malato di cuore. Arrivati a questo punto è difficile non commuoversi, trovando la chiave di lettura. Nel congedare Ransome e nel congratularsi con lui per l'ottimo servizio reso, nonostante la sua salute, il capitano sente questi allontanarsi dalla sua cabina e salire le scalette del boccaporto con cautela, gradino per gradino, "nel timor panico di far adirare di improvviso la nostra comune nemica, che era suo destino di dover consapevolemente portar nel petto fedele". Con sublime maestria questo passo chiarificatore ci illumina e ci fa comprendere tutto. Oltrepassare la linea d'ombra è essere coscienti della morte "la nostra comune nemica", è fare le scale "gradino dopo gradino", è essere consapevoli della sua esistenza. Questa è la verità. Difficile non commuoversi e non meravigliarsi perchè il tutto è detto con quella soffusione e maestria che rende immortali. Penso Conrad abbia portato questa immagine nel suo intimo, quasi un ideale, per tutta la sua vita e ci renderà più consapevoli mentre lo leggiamo di ciò che siamo, di ciò che saremo e non potremo essere. Lontano, tra le nebbie di un nebuloso avvenire, io come voi, troveremo forse la nostra linea d'ombra. Beato sarà colui che saprà trovare, come Conrad, le parole adatte al suo significato.

15 giugno 2008

[Gattalucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro letto nel lontano 2007. Ma lo ricordo ancora come fosse ieri, perché capita di trovarsi, come il protagonista, in una bonaccia senza vento, un limbo che non porta da nessuna parte e tutte le rotte che hai tracciato sembrano solo linee inutili su una carta senza senso.
Conrad è un bastardo così. Pensi di leggere un libro di avventure, di viaggi per mare, e invece il viaggio è quello dentro l’anima. Fino alla paura di non potercela fare, quella del dubbio su sé stessi nel momento in cui la speranza sta svanendo. Poi il vento che ti tira fuori dalla palude della disperazione arriva, per chi ha il coraggio di resistere.
Però, a volte, caro Conrad, “resistere, resistere, resistere …non serve a un cazzo.

[Agir(آگِر) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her kesek di navbera wi dinyayê de, hindek dînatî heye...

[Malacorda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conrad Santo subito.

[Vittorio Ducoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ognuno di noi l'ha scorta

La linea d'ombra è, con Cuore di tenebra, il più noto e il più acclamato romanzo di Conrad.
Si tratta in effetti di un testo che in poco più di 120 pagine (in questa edizione) presenta una varietà ed una stratificazione tematica straordinarie. A partire dal titolo, scelto non a caso da Conrad dopo avere scartato l'iniziale Primo comando, sono molti gli interrogativi che ci pone questo libro.
Cosa è la Linea d'ombra? La risposta immediata, ma non la più scontata, ce la dà lo stesso Conrad nella prima pagina del libro: la linea d'ombra è quel momento nella vita in cui ci si pongono i primi interrogativi, si avvertono le prime insoddisfazioni esistenziali, non si è più certi riguardo alla strada da seguire, forse perché per la prima volta davanti a noi si trovano strade diverse. Conrad ci dice subito, quindi, che il suo romanzo è una metafora della vita, ovvero di un particolare periodo della nostra vita.
Il contesto scelto per raccontarci l'avventura esistenziale di un giovane che si trova davanti alle prime scelte vere da compiere è quello marinaresco ed esotico che tanto gli è caro. Quel giovane, che narra in prima persona, è lui, o meglio è Conrad alcuni decenni prima, quando ebbe il primo (e unico) comando di una nave. Quel giovane, però, siamo anche tutti noi, quando con tanto entusiasmo ci siamo buttati nella vita, con la voglia di cambiare il mondo, e ci siamo accorti dopo poco che non ce l'avremmo fatta, che troppi erano i condizionamenti, che per andare avanti occorreva scendere a compromessi ed adeguarsi.
Il giovane capitano assume il comando della nave con una forza ed una convinzione assoluti, lasciandosi subito alle spalle le paure dettate dall'inesperienza: vedendola per la prima volta, eleva un vero e proprio inno d'amore alla sua nave, la descrive come una donna, come fosse la donna di cui è innamorato. E' il suo momento magico, quello che di fatto attendeva dopo avere abbandonato senza ragione il precedente anonimo imbarco.
Subito, però, si rende conto che quella nave non è sua: sedendosi nella poltrona della sua cabina si rende conto che lì si sono seduti molti altri capitani prima di lui: la nave, l'equipaggio con cui dovrà affrontare il mare sono il risultato di quella storia. Emblematico in questo senso l'atteggiamento del primo ufficiale Burns, che crede fermamente in una sorta di maledizione lanciata alla nave dal defunto precedente capitano, il che di fatto ne farà un avversario passivo del giovane capitano. Tutto infatti andrà male sin dall'inizio, e di fatto il capitano non riuscirà a far navigare la nave. La bonaccia, le febbri che colpiscono l'equipaggio ed anche alcuni errori d'inesperienza del capitano rendono la situazione disperata. Solo un marinaio, Ransome, ancorché malato di cuore, asseconda il capitano nei suoi sforzi per uscire dallo stallo in cui è piombata la nave.
Riusciranno ad entrare in un porto vicino, ma non a solcare l'oceano. Tuttavia, la dura esperienza ha cambiato il giovane, che ora si sente vecchio, anche se pronto a riprendere il mare. Probabilmente lo spirito con cui lo riprenderà sarà completamente diverso rispetto alla prima volta.
Mi sembra utile sottolineare come l'oceano, il microcosmo sociale rappresentato dall'equipaggio, l'attenzione al ruolo simbolico del capitano accomunino due romanzi così diversi come mole ma così simili quanto a spunti di riflessione esistenziale: questo La linea d'ombra e Moby Dick di Melville. Credo che questo sostrato simbolico comune derivi, oltre che dalle storie personali dei due autori, dal fatto che il mare, elemento primigenio da cui veniamo tutti, è l'unico luogo dove l'orizzonte è sempre sgombro, l'unico luogo dove è possibile scorgere in lontananza la nostra linea d'ombra e il soffio dei nostri mostri interiori.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow-Line by Joseph Conrad describes that demarcation line in the journey of life that divides the happy, bright, fantastic and irresponsible youth with the darker ages of manhood. Conrad goes on to delineate this vision as being beyond the “charm and innocence of illusions”.

The Shadow-Line is one of his most accomplished nautical tales and stands close to Typhoon and Youth as almost entirely about the sea and man’s relationship to a vessel. Whereas Youth was of a young man’s first venture to sea, The Shadow-Line documents a young seaman’s first command of a ship, and Conrad expertly relates this mature coming of age to the growing up of a boy to a man.

In a succession of maturity, Conrad’s novels could be linked as follows: Youth, Shadow Line, The End of the Tether. One of his better stories also because he includes comic elements as well and this tragicomic delivery helps to soften his usual dark themes.

[Carlo Mascellani · Rating 2 out of 5]

La storia di una traversata particolarmente difficile e insidiosa presa a pretesto per siglar il passaggio dalla giovinezza all'età adulta: il valico della sottile linea d'ombra che separa i sogni di gioventù dalla disillusione dell'età matura.

[SCARABOOKS · Rating 5 out of 5]

E' di quei romanzi che appartengono alla categoria degli Inesauribili. La nostra testa ad ogni rilettura scava e riporta alla luce cose nuove con la stessa sorpresa della prima volta. E nella nuova luce li vede reiscriversi nella coscienza con una colorazione diversa, con un senso completamente nuovo.

A vent'anni ne resti solo incantato. A trenta ti illumina, ti raggela e ti consola insieme.
Fa un effetto potentissimo anche a riprenderlo decenni dopo, quando per esempio sei mosso dalla paterna apprensione per un figlio o una figlia; quella che nasce magari col primo distacco o col primo incarico di responsabilità. Per ripensare alla linea d'ombra come la si scoprì allora, per comprendere, per cercare un consiglio da trasmettere o semplicemente per sentirsi vicini. Di quella fase lì della vita Conrad è stato il poeta assoluto (penso anche a Lord Jim): delle rivelazioni dell'età che sta tra l'ultima giovinezza e la prima maturità.

E leggendo torni a quel primo sentimento di potenza e di armonia col destino che accompagna il premio sempre sorprendente del "primo comando". Torni a vivere e idealmente partecipare all'esaltazione adrenalica che si genera dalla novità di sentirsi protagonisti della vita. Riesci ad affiancarti alla paura che ti morde davanti all'allargarsi dell'orizzonte ed alla perdita della protezione del conosciuto, quando non hai ancora in circolo quell'anestetico che è l'esperienza, che tutto scolora. Recuperi il contatto emotivo con il dissolversi dell' illusione di poter essere e fare tutto. E sperimenti di nuovo la potenza distruttiva del "pensiero magico", che con gli enigmi della realtà, nella fabbrica della nostra testa, produce mostri dove forse non ci sono, ammorba l'atmosfera, immagazzina miraggi di gloria e fantasmi di fallimenti che intasano e paralizzano il pensiero.

La mente del lettore pensa di esorcizzare conto terzi quel primo affiorare del senso di inadeguatezza e di indegnità e di colpa che tenta di imprigionarci di fronte alle prime difficoltà. E spera di saper guardare quelle difficoltà come appaiono in quegli anni: una beffa organizzata dallo stesso destino che ci aveva privilegiati e che, in un orizzonte diventato improvvisamente immobile, imperscrutabile e minaccioso, sembra preparare per noi la Catastrofe Assoluta, dopo averci irretito. Per poter magari prendere il telefono e tentare di svelarne l'inganno con le parole giuste. Inguaribili ingenuità.

La scoperta che si fa è terribile e forse meravigliosa insieme. Ci si accorge, rileggendo Conrad, che dalla linea d'ombra non siamo mai usciti neppure noi; che non se ne esce mai. Che tutti, fino all'ultimo orizzonte, ne abbiamo una davanti. E che dobbiamo ancora, anche noi, navigare nel buio, nonostante tutte le esperienze attraverso cui siamo passati.
Poveri padri: hanno proprio poco da insegnare.

Inesorabile ed inesauribile Conrad, grande e profondo come il mare che racconta.

[The Frahorus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il protagonista di questo romanzo è un giovane ufficiale che riesce finalmente a realizzare il suo sogno: guidare una nave tutta per sé col grado di capitano. Ma la traversata sarà piena di contrattempi.

La prima cosa che mi ha colpito durante la lettura di questa opera è la conoscenza marinara dell'autore, sia quando ci descrive le varie parti della nave o delle vele sia le varie azioni durante la navigazione. Si vede quando un romanzo è scritto da un vero uomo di mare come nel caso di Conrad. Poi colpisce certamente lo stile di scrittura che è a dir poco spettacolare. Nel romanzo è evidente che il protagonista sta maturando, e si trova nel passaggio di quella linea d'ombra che richiama il titolo, ovvero quel momento della vita che ti porta dalla giovinezza all'età adulta. I problemi che egli dovrà affrontare non riguarda soltanto le tempeste sul mare o la malattia che colpisce l'equipaggio, ma anche l'ostilità del primo ufficiale che si vede arrivare un nuovo capitano quando in realtà avrebbe voluto esserlo lui.

In realtà Conrad ci fa capire che l'avversario, il nemico da superare non è tanto la nave in burrasca, la forza scatenata dagli elementi, ma l'incontro con le proprie debolezze, con i propri limiti. Tutto l'equipaggio è in balia dei propri fantasmi, soprattutto hanno paura del fantasma del precedente capitano che era morto proprio in quel tratto di mare.

[Uroš Đurković · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kad sam bio mali, mislio sam da ću morati da idem u vojsku. To me, razume se, nije radovalo, a kada sam razmišljao o opcijama, mornarica mi je delovala najprimamljivije. Šta tu ima da se radi? Ma ništa, na palubi si, vezuješ čvoriće i čekaš dobar vetar. Bože, kako nisam bio u pravu.

Ljubav za avanturom je, ipak, preživela. Otkrivanje novih krajeva, primamljivost puta, sve je to deo dečačkog paketa neutažive znatiželje koja motiviše nove poduhvate. A volim i more, iako sam svega nekoliko puta u životu išao na letovanje.

No, to sad zaista nije bitno. Ne samo zbog otkrivanja ličnih detalja, već zbog toga što se Konradovo delo, u krajnjoj liniji, ne tiče otkrića i avanture, već sazrevanju i sumnji u samog sebe, koja podrazumeva borbu sa nepredviđenim okolnostima. Roman se bavi životnom prekretnicom i time da možemo zauzeti neku poziciju u hijerarhiji ili struci ne po zasluzi nego u odnosu na okolnosti. Ali to je život: funkcije su podeljene, ali akteri se menjaju. Ipak, sve treba uzeti sa debelom dozom ironije; kako to biva sa velikim modernističkim delima, prave drame su u pozadini, a ne na pozornici.

Kad neko kaže kinin, prva asocijacija mi je bila šveps. Sad to neće biti.

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

La giovinezza finita e i suoi sogni infranti, le speranze, le attese deluse, lo scetticismo, il disincanto, il tedio verso la vita, sono questi i segni che abbiamo già oltrepassato la linea d’ombra? Ma è ancora possibile, oltre questa linea d’ombra, ritrovare ancora un senso e un gusto per la vita, un nuovo innamoramento per la bellezza. “Il senso di inutilità della vita, che mi aveva reso tanto irrequieto negli ultimi mesi, perse ogni sua ragione d’essere, perse la sua malefica influenza, dissolvendosi in un fiotto di gioia. … una creatura armoniosa nelle linee del corpo fine e nell’altezza proporzionata. … Qualunque fosse la sua età, qualunque fosse la sua storia, conservava l’impronta dell’origine”. L’emozione fortissima che trabocca da questi toni così appassionati, il sentimento amoroso che descrivono, potrebbero riferirsi ad una donna bellissima e affascinate… un nuovo amore. Oppure a una nave, che della donna è immagine. “Tra le compagne ormeggiate alla riva, tutte più grandi di lei, pareva un essere di razza pura, un destriero arabo in mezzo a cavalli da tiro”.
Ancora una volta però, andando per mare e per vita, si rivarca una nuova linea d’ombra, fatta di prove, fatica, paura, asprezze, delusioni, rimorsi. E ci si ritrova ancora una volta più stanchi, più vecchi, più disillusi. “Passerà. Ma è un fatto che sembriate più vecchio- dice il vecchio capitano Giles al giovane capitano- la verità è che nella vita non bisogna dar troppo peso a nulla: né al bene, né al male. … Ho ancora una cosa da dirvi: un uomo deve saper affrontare la cattiva sorte, i propri errori, la propria coscienza. Del resto, con che altro mai si dovrebbe lottare?”. Già, con che altro si dovrebbe lottare?

[Tristram Shandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“People have a great opinion of the advantages of experience. But in that connection experience always means something disagreeable as opposed to the charm and innocence of illusions.”

Originally, what was to be published in early 1916 under the title The Shadow-Line. A Confession was at first intended by Conrad to become a mainly autobiographical tale of The First Command ever held by a young and inexperienced captain. Conrad, in his long seaman’s career, only had one single command himself, on the iron barque “Otago”, and the story he was about to write was to be based mainly on his own experiences during this short period of time, which was beset by similar difficulties to those described in this piece of fiction. As the First World War proceeded, however, Conrad thought it more and more egotistical to centre on his own individual reminiscences when many young men, his own son Borys amongst them, risked their lives on the battlefields of Europe, and so his work soon slackened, before the story turned into allegory in Conrad’s hands. This is why he decided to discard the title The First Command in favour of the more mysterious The Shadow-Line, which, in a rather abstract introduction, he defined as the border between the innocence of childhood and the more or less playful challenges of youth on the one hand and the more serious claims that adult life makes on the resilience, resourcefulness, responsibilities and moral strength of men. On the outside, The Shadow-Line looks like a story of initiation, of coming-of-age when the unnamed first-person narrator tells us how he quit a perfect job on the ship he has been serving on, for no real reason but that he feels he must have a change and with no set purpose whatsoever. His good reputation as a sailor, however, precedes him, and he is offered a command on board a sailing ship, whose previous captain died. He gladly accepts this opportunity but as ill-luck will have it, the ship not only goes into a lull of more than two weeks but the hands are also plagued by malaria, and he soon has to find out that there is hardly any quinine on board the ship. The first mate, Mr. Burns, riddled with fever, is convinced that it is the ghost of the late captain, whom he considers to be the epitome of wickedness, who has cast a curse on the ship and its men, and the only man, apart from the narrator himself, whose mental and physical powers are not impaired by malaria, is Mr. Ransome, the ship’s cook, a former sailor who suffers from a heart condition. In other words, things don’t bode well for our protagonist, and he has to keep his wits together – despite a raving first mate and a languishing crew – in order to get his men out of danger.

”There was nothing original, nothing new, startling, informing to expect from the world: no opportunities to find out something about oneself, no wisdom to acquire, no fun to enjoy. Everything was stupid and overrated, even as Captain Giles was. So be it.”

Like most young men, our narrator is rather convinced of his own wisdom and his manifold qualities at the onset of the story, and we get to know him as a rather irascible, cocksure individual, who looks down on the old captain Giles, whose acquaintance he makes at the sailors’ home where he resides after quitting his good berth. He often mocks the captain’s tendency to indulge in what he considers the pointless, trite ramblings and the staple-sententiousness of an aging man, and yet it is the captain’s ability to read the signs of the world around him that enables our narrator to get the command in the first place, and thereby to start his journey into adulthood. The rather short novel abounds in other father figures – the officious and awe-inspiring Deputy-Neptune Captain Ellis, who presides over the Harbour Office, the gentle Captain Kent, his former master whose praise of him makes him eligible as a candidate for the command in the first place, an unnamed elderly doctor, who fails to notice that the former captain has replaced the valuable quinine with some worthless powder in order to make a quick profit, and Mr. Ransome, whose mere presence seems to reassure the protagonist and keep him from joining in Mr. Burns’s delusions.

My sensations could not be like those of any other man on board. In that community I stood, like a king in his country, in a class all by myself. […] I was brought there to rule by an agency as remote from the people and as inscrutable almost to them as the Grace of God.”

Despite the support he gets from Ransome – and he got from those other father figures, most of whom he cannot help despising – the protagonist’s mind is initially set entirely upon himself. Elated by his new dignity as the commander of a ship, he sees himself as one member of a long chain of nautical potentates, as part of”a sort of composite soul, the soul of command”, set aside from the hands on board and ordained to find his own way through the challenges and difficulties heaped upon himself, his men and his ship, and to take his own decisions in order to do this. ”I was oppressed by my lonely responsibilities” is the sentiment he voices in retrospect. In the course of events, however, he realizes the braveness, the duteousness and the reliability of his crew, who are undaunted by the discovery that there is no more quinine – a fact that the captain egotistically blames himself for – and who, with what little life they have in themselves, help him steer his ship through its final confrontation with the merciless elements.”Worthy of my undying regard” are the words that go with the title of the story, and this inscription clearly refers to the men, who never for a moment thought of shirking their duties and giving in to fatalism. We may say that here again, in choosing this inscription, Conrad was influenced by the sense of duty he discovered in the war effort.

”’Yes, that’s what it amounts to […] Precious little rest in life for anybody. […]’”

This spirit of heroism becomes all the more remarkable, Conrad seems to say, when we consider that in his heart of hearts, every single individual has the fear, the concern for their own dear life. When, after the crisis, Ransome asks the captain to give him his leave, the captain is dismayed and does not want to part with the cook, and on saying this he sees ”a look of almost savage determination” pass over Ransome’s face and then he realizes ”the humble reality of things”: Through all his acts of bravery and self-denial, Ransome has been afraid for himself, for his own individual life. The idea of mere heroism, of braving it out for the sake of glory and the fun of it, was alien to even so remarkable a man as Ransome, and thus the belief in picture-book heroism is maybe the last youthful illusion our narrator has to leave behind in crossing the ultimate shadow-line towards real manhood. Life is suffering, is toiling, is sacrificing, but it would be empty if we had nothing to suffer, toil and sacrifice for – and herein lies the true spirit of responsibility, as opposed to foolhardiness or fanaticism.

[Gavin Armour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wenigen ist es gelungen, die Schifffahrt, Abenteuer zur See, das Verhalten in Extremsituationen an Bord eines Schiffes derart allegorisch zu nutzen, wie es Joseph Conrad getan hat. Sein Schreiben ist Beschreibung ebenso, wie es eine Reflektion über eine Welt ist, die durch Kolonialismus und Imperialismus geprägt ist, aber immer auch eine Befragung moralischer Aspekte, die oft moralischen Imperativen gleichen. Immer war sein Schreiben von autobiographischen Zügen geprägt, war Conrad doch lange selbst zur See gefahren und kannte nicht nur das Leben an Bord in all seinen Facetten, sondern auch die Gegenden der Welt, die er beschrieb - die Südsee, den Golf von Bengalen, das Chinesische Meer. Und auch die Situationen, in die sein Personal gerät, waren oftmals seinem eigenen Erleben, seinen Erfahrungen entnommen.

THE SHADOW-LINE, erschienen 1917, gehört sicherlich zu den stark autobiographisch geprägten Texten aus Conrads Feder. Im späteren Stadium seines Schaffens entstanden, berichtet Conrad von einem jungen Mann, der ohne wirklichen Grund das Schiff verlässt, auf dem er zuletzt als Offizier gesegelt ist und sich irgendwo im Fernen Osten an Land herumtreibt, bis er ein eigenes Kommando erhält. Doch ist dies, sein erstes eigenes Kommando, nicht von Glück gesegnet. Zunächst ist es eine Flaute, die das Schiff, dessen Mannschaft der Erzähler nicht kennt, tage-, dann wochenlang stilllegt, dann kommt eine schwere Krankheit hinzu, die die gesamte Besatzung bis auf ihn selbst und den Koch, Mr. Ransome, außer Gefecht setzt. Während der erste Offizier halluziniert und das Schiff vom ehemaligen Kapitän, der auf der letzten Fahrt verstorben ist, verfolgt und verflucht sieht, versucht der Erzähler, kühlen Kopf zu bewahren. Die Situation verschlimmert sich, als er und Ransome feststellen müssen, daß die Medizin, die ihnen vor Abfahrt geliefert wurde, reines Placebo ist, ohne jede Wirkung. Dann schlägt das Wetter um und nun muß die kranke Besatzung alle Kräfte dafür aufbringen, daß das Schiff im Unwetter nicht seine Segel und Masten verliert. Doch es gelingt dem Kapitän und Erzähler dieser Geschichte schließlich, mit waghalsigen Manövern, Schiff und Besatzung zu retten.

So beschrieben liest sich der Inhalt von Conrads gerade einmal 188 Seiten langer Erzählung wie eine reine Abenteuergeschichte. Doch ist dies vielmehr eine Geschichte des Weges vom enthusiastischen jungen, zu einem verantwortungsvollen Mann, der seine erste – und wichtigste? – Prüfung besteht. Die titelgebende „Schattenlinie“, von der die Rede ist, ist nicht nur die Bezeichnung jenes Breitengrades, auf dem der ehemalige Kapitän bestattet wurde und die im von Krankheit geprägten Kopf von Mr. Burns, dem ersten Offizier, mystische Kraft erhält, weil die Macht des Toten sich als Fluch auf das Schiff lege und es hindere, die Linie zu überqueren. Sie ist vielmehr jene imaginäre Linie, die die Jugend vom Mannesalter trennt. Der Grad, an dem sich entscheidet, ob ein junger Mann zu Reife kommt und seinen Aufgaben gerecht werden kann, ihnen gewachsen ist. Conrad beginnt seine Erzählung mit einer längeren Abhandlung über die Vorzüge der Jugend, die sich klar on der Kindheit absetze, darüber, wie in dieser Zeit, die er als einen Garten, also einen Raum, bezeichnet, sich Wünsche, Hoffnungen und Ideale durchmischen und in dieser Wirkung Herausforderungen suchen lassen. Erst, wenn man sich diesen Herausforderungen stellen musste und sie erfolgreich bestanden hat, erst wenn man das ganze Gewicht der Verantwortung getragen und diese Last gemeistert hat, betritt man jenes Land hinter der Schattenlinie. Wird man zu einem moralisch und damit sittlich gefestigten Menschen.

Conrad gelingt es, formal und inhaltlich exakt aufeinander abgestimmt, diesen Raum vor der Schattenlinie zu beschreiben. Nach seiner philosophischen Betrachtung der Unterschiede von Kindheit, Jugend und Mannesalter, lässt er den Ich-Erzähler lange seine Unzufriedenheit beschreiben, sein Unverständnis über sich selbst, über die Entscheidung, sein Schiff zu verlassen, die auch unter Kollegen und Hafenmitarbeitern für Verwunderung sorgt. Er kann weder sich noch anderen gegenüber Rechenschaft für diese Entscheidung ablegen. Es ist eine innere Unruhe, die zugleich wie eine Lähmung wirkt, ein Stillstand, der den jungen Mann davon abhält, seiner nie näher beschriebenen und auch für ihn nur vage empfundenen Bestimmung nachzugehen. In einem Seemannsheim in der Hafenstadt, in der er an Land geht, trifft er im alten Kapitän Giles einen Kollegen, der ihm väterlich zur Seite steht und offenbar großes Verständnis für das jugendliche Drängen und Streben hat. Es wird schließlich dieser Kapitän Giles sein, der dafür sorgt, daß der Erzähler sein Kommando antritt.

Doch zuvor lässt Conrad uns an den abendlichen Unterhaltungen der beiden Männer teilhaben. Und diese Unterhaltungen sind von des Erzählers Unbill und seiner Arroganz gegenüber seiner Umwelt geprägt. Den anderen hält er mal für einen Schwätzer, mal für verschlagen, seine Ratschläge für das Gewäsch des Alters. Spät erst wird er verstehen, was Giles ihm eigentlich hat sagen wollen, weshalb der Alte ihn in das Abenteuer, dem er sich wird stellen müssen, hineingetrieben hat. Doch kommt die Erzählung lange nicht vom Fleck. Conrad lässt uns durch Wiederholung und den scheinbaren Stillstand in der Handlung spüren, wie diese Zeit des Nichttuns für den Erzähler gleichsam zur Qual wird. Warten, Ausharren, das Gerede der Alten ertragen – die Jugend ist geprägt von diesen Zeiten, in denen man noch nicht tun kann oder tun darf, wozu man sich längst befähigt fühlt.

Diese Haltung spiegelt sich dann inhaltlich in jenen Tagen und Wochen auf See, in denen Schiff und Besatzung durch Flaute und Krankheit gezwungen sind, auszuharren. Es ist ein literarisches Meisterstück Conrads, beides ineinander zu spiegeln und dennoch die Aufmerksamkeit des Lesers zu binden. War der junge Mann eben noch in einer Haltung, der Gewalt anderer ausgeliefert zu sein, jener mächtigeren und erfahreneren Männer, die über Wohl und Wehe entscheiden, indem sie Schiffe zuteilen und Kapitäne einsetzen, so ist er nun, als Verantwortlicher, plötzlich höheren Gewalten ausgeliefert und muß Aushalten, was er nicht ändern kann. Zudem muß er Zuversicht verbreiten und darf sich nie, nicht einen Moment, jener Stimmung überlassen, die bspw. Mr. Burns in seinem Halluzinieren verbreitet. Alles scheint sich gegen den jungen Ich-Erzähler zu verbünden und außer Ransome, der ein hervorragender Seemann ist, aufgrund eines Herzleidens aber keine schweren Tätigkeiten an Bord ausüben darf, steht ihm niemand mehr zur Seite, der die Situation einschätzen kann und ihn unterstützt.

Hinzu kommt die Fremdheit. Die Mannschaft ist eingespielt, sie kennen Mr. Burns und vertrauen ihm, doch der neue Kapitän ist ein Fremder, niemand weiß, was er kann, wie er sich in Notsituationen verhalten wird. Conrad beschreibt den Aberglauben auf See, ohne, wie er in einem Nachwort angibt, je die Grenze zum Unnatürlichen oder gar Übernatürlichen zu überschreiten. Er beschreibt den Zusammenhalt und die Härte, die diese Arbeit erfordert. Wenn das Schiff schließlich am Wind liegt und aus der Flaute ein Sturm zu werden droht, muß ein jeder, egal ob krank oder nicht, seinen Posten halten, muß selbst Ransome schließlich in die Wanten, um das Schiff zu retten. Mr. Burns, bei weitem nicht genesen, hält das Ruder und auch der Ich-Erzähler übernimmt Aufgaben der einfachen Mannschaft. Conrad lässt keine Tragik zu, sondern beschreibt einen Initiationsritus, dem der Ich-Erzähler unterworfen ist. Er bringt das Schiff sicher in den Ausgangshafen zurück und sucht sich umgehend eine neue Mannschaft, um seine eigentliche Aufgabe zu erledigen, also wieder in See zu stechen. Nur ist er jetzt ein anderer. Er hat eine Aufgabe bewältigt, eine Prüfung bestanden und ist aus dieser zum Manne gereift hervorgegangen.

Indem Conrad – der seinem Kurzroman den Untertitel „Eine Beichte“ gab – diese Geschichte einen alten Mann erzählen lässt, also reflektierend aus einer Perspektive des bereits gelebten und vergangenen Lebens, nimmt er eine Rahmung vor, die typisch für sein Erzählen ist. In seinen Hauptwerken ist es oft die Figur des Marlow, der Geschichten erzählt oder aber Dritten von Erlebnissen berichtet, die ihm selbst erzählt wurden. Conrad gibt seinen Erzählungen also fast immer eine gebrochene Perspektive, die nicht nur die Reflektion ermöglicht, die Metaebene, die über die reine Handlung hinaus schon eine Beurteilung des Erzählten zulässt, die Metapher und Allegorie umfasst, die tiefere Moral beschreibt, die der äußeren Handlung inne liegt, sondern zugleich auch die Brüchigkeit des Erzählens und des Erzählten als gefilterte Geschichte ausstellt und thematisiert. Es ist stilistisch ein äußerst modernes Mittel und markiert deutlich Conrads Ausnahmestellung in der angelsächsischen Literatur des späten 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhunderts. Wenige Autoren wirken so deutlich spürbar am Übergang klassischen Erzählens zur Moderne.

THE SHADOW-LINE nimmt möglicherweise eine Sonderstellung in Conrads Werk ein, weil hier die Rahmung von einem Namenlosen vorgenommen wird, was indirekt auf den Autor selbst verweist, der hier so deutlich wie selten hinter der Erzählung spürbar wird, ja, hervortritt, und damit identifizierbar ist. Joseph Conrad selbst hatte nur ein einziges eigenes Kommando als Kapitän inne, obwohl er einige Jahre zur See verbrachte. Wenn also der damals sechzigjährige Conrad einen älteren Mann aus der eigenen Jugend erzählen und diese reflektieren lässt, mag dies wahrlich tief autobiographische Züge tragen. Doch ist dies eben keine Conrad´sche Lebensbeichte, sondern schlußendlich eine Stück Weltliteratur, das tief aus menschlichem Dasein und Empfinden schöpft.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel that Joseph Conrad is slowly becoming neglected by the general reading public. There is nothing scientific in my observations. Rather, it’s anecdotal. I know only one person who reads Conrad and sings his praises. Perhaps Conrad has been overshadowed by novels that appear to be more easily digested. Perhaps Conrad, like D H Lawrence and William Faulkner have slipped out of reader’s minds because they are seen as dated or old fashioned. I don’t really know.

Well, enough. To me The Shadow-Line is a wonderful novella. Tightly written, it carries within it the essence of the human condition and answers how we transition from a state of somewhat blissful ignorance of the world to a place where we realize that the enormous burden of maturity is not reached in one day, but through a long journey of increasing experience, adventure, hardship and, at last, greater insight into the hearts and souls of both those around us and ourselves.

Conrad incorporates beautiful metaphors, language, imagery, and character development in this book. One of Conrad’s strengths has always been his development of voice. Here, in this novel, written late in his career, we see him pitch perfect in the development of a narrator.

The Shadow-Line is an important novella. It deserves your attention.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non avrei detto potesse coinvolgermi una storia di marinai e di navigazione. Invece sono rimasta avvinta dall’atmosfera sospesa, inquietante della storia, dal suo protagonista giovane e non più giovane, che attraversa la linea d’ombra confrontandosi con la paura, con la responsabilità, con l’azzardo delle scelte, con il peso del destino, con l’imprevedibile, con il dover di rimanere nella propria vita, come un soldato in guerra, nonostante tutto. Il libro è scritto benissimo, è di grande raffinatezza nei toni nelle descrizione, nelle immagini che evoca, nei personaggi (anche quelli secondari) che disegna. Ho letto che Conrad impara a 28 anni la lingua inglese come terza lingua dopo il polacco e il francese. Sono rimasta stupefatta. Questo romanzo è un piccolo gioiello letterario frutto di un talento straordinario.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the more negative reviews on this one, I really enjoyed it. Maybe because I listened to it, rather than read it. I think if I had read it I might have done a lot of skimming.

Listening to it however, was fascinating. An interesting character study, with LOTS of ... odd personalities. I guess it took an odd person back in the day to be a sailor. It wasn't a kind or gentle profession, nor was it really a usual line of work, in that most people live on land, so to eschew land for the dangerous open sea where anything could happen, is not the usual.

It kind of makes me realize that all of the craziness that we see nowadays isn't new. It existed in the past too, but we have better tools to deal with it and help those who need it. Allegedly. Still too many people out there who need help and aren't able to get it, but I digress.

I would highly recommend listening to this, rather than reading it. The narrator did a good job and it's a quick listen, four and a half hours, so shorter then my usual audio books.

4, solid better than The Heart of Darkness imho (though I had to cram it for school decades ago, so maybe I would enjoy it more now), stars.

My thanks to libro.fm and Naxos AudioBooks for an ALC copy of this book to listen to and review.

[Saturn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In questo straordinario romanzo breve si intrecciano fili di vari generi letterari. Nella forma del romanzo marinaresco e di avventura, si dispiega un perfetto racconto di formazione dove l'elemento psicologico non coinvolge solo ciò che accade al protagonista. Oltre a descrivere quel fatidico passaggio fra la leggerezza della giovinezza e il peso e la responsabilità della vita adulta, narra l'incredibile storia di un pugno di uomini che dà fondo a ogni riserva di energia per fronteggiare una situazione impossibile e paralizzante. Il breve tratto di mare che l'equipaggio si trova ad affrontare sembra una trappola destinata a finire del peggiore dei modi. Le scarne ma efficaci descrizioni dei marinai mostrano una lotta incessante per la sopravvivenza. Il turbamento del capitano gravato dalla responsabilità di quegli uomini è il punto focale del romanzo. Rappresenta quel momento fondamentale nella vita di ognuno che vede un cambiamento irreversibile e fa scattare quel meccanismo che quasi improvvisamente ti rende adulto. Non stupisce allora la dedica al figlio Borys e ai suoi coetanei, partiti per combattere nella prima guerra mondiale. L'incredibile tensione del romanzo è inoltre mantenuta alta da una vena soprannaturale che accompagna tutta la narrazione senza però appesantirla e che non sposta il focus dai temi centrali del libro.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Τέταρτο βιβλιαράκι του Τζόζεφ Κόνραντ που διαβάζω και δηλώνω ξανά ικανοποιημένος, αν και οφείλω να παραδεχτώ ότι ορισμένα σημεία εδώ και κει με κούρασαν λιγάκι, μιας και δεν τα πάω και πολύ καλά με τις διάφορες ναυτικές ορολογίες, από τις οποίες υπάρχουν κάμποσες στην ιστορία. Τέλος πάντων, αναμενόμενο ήταν αυτό, με βάση τη θεματολογία του βιβλίου, αλλά και με βάση τη μεγάλη εμπειρία του Κόνραντ στα εμπορικά πλοία. Πρόκειται για μια ρεαλιστική θαλασσινή ιστορία, στην οποία ο ανώνυμος αφηγητής μας, αφήνει την εύκολη δουλειά ως δεύτερος σ�� ένα πολύ καλό καράβι, για να γυρίσει πίσω στην πατρίδα και να κάνει κάτι με τη ζωή του, μέχρι που του έλαχε μια θέση καπετάνιου, σε ένα μάλλον προβληματικό καράβι. Να η ευκαιρία που έψαχνε για να ενηλικιωθεί! Θα τα καταφέρει; Λοιπόν, η ιστορία είναι ρεαλιστικά δοσμένη, όμως μπορεί να λειτουργήσει και σαν μια αλληγορία για τις δυσκολίες της ζωής και το ταξίδι προς την ενηλικίωση. Η γραφή είναι εξαιρετική και γεμάτη οξυδέρκεια, με ωραίες περιγραφές και φυσικούς διαλόγους. Και πρέπει να πω ότι δεν ήταν λίγα τα σημεία της ιστορίας με τις περιγραφές και τις σκέψεις, που πραγματικά με μάγεψαν. Σίγουρα μέσα στη χρονιά θα διαβάσω και άλλο βιβλίο του συγγραφέα (πιθανότατα το "Ο μυστικός πράκτορας"). 7.5/10

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

La mia prima esperienza con la letteratura di mare è stata con "Moby Dick". Mi sono arenata al decimo capitolo: forse non è stata una saggia scelta, e ho quindi deciso di approcciarmi al genere attraverso Conrad.
Mi chiedo ancora perché abbia aspettato tutto questo tempo.
"La linea d'ombra" è un racconto di poco più di 100 pagine, narrato in prima persona dal protagonista, un capitano al suo primo incarico. Un incarico sfortunato, in quanto il precedente capitano è morto dopo un breve periodo di pazzia.
Il nostro capitano si ritrova così sulla linea d'ombra, un confine tra l'età adulta e la giovinezza, una zona in limone che separa l'inesperienza dall'esperienza.
Ma la zona d'ombra è anche un luogo fisico, rappresentato dalla bonaccia in cui la nave langue per due settimane, che avvolge e avviluppa sia la nave che il suo equipaggio, morso dalle febbri. È forse l'influenza del precedente capitano, impazzito, come continua ad afferma il primo ufficiale, o è soltanto una pura coincidenza?

[Viviana Rizzetto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nota: rileggerlo in un'edizione decente.