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In Search of Conrad
Gavin Young continues his life-long fascination with travel and his love of the sea in this magical evocation of the world of Joseph Conrad. Conrad's career as a sailor provided the material for much of his writing, his voyages as first mate or master of various trading vessels in the 1870s and 1880s immortalized in such classics as "Lord Jim" and "Almayer's Folly". This book retraces his steps, chasing the shadows of Conrad by sea, land and river, visiting ports and islands, from Singapore to the Straits of Makassar. He takes in local legends, stories and songs heard on the way.
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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About the author
Gavin Young
52 books8 followersGavin David Young (24 April 1928 – 18 January 2001) was a journalist and travel writer.
He was born in Bude, Cornwall, England. His father, Gavin Young, was a lieutenant colonel in the Welsh Guards. Daphne, his mother, was the daughter of Sir Charles Leolin Forestier-Walker, Bt, of Monmouthshire. Young spent most of his youth in Cornwall and South Wales. He graduated from Oxford University, where he studied modern history.
Young spent two years with the Ralli Brothers shipping company in Basra in Iraq before living with the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. He fashioned his experiences into a book, Return to the Marshes (1977). In 1960, from Tunis, he joined The Observer of London as a foreign correspondent, and was the Observer's correspondent in Paris and New York. He had covered fifteen wars and revolutions throughout the world, and worked for The Guardian and was a travel writer. Young died in London on 18 January 2001; he was 72 years old.
He was born in Bude, Cornwall, England. His father, Gavin Young, was a lieutenant colonel in the Welsh Guards. Daphne, his mother, was the daughter of Sir Charles Leolin Forestier-Walker, Bt, of Monmouthshire. Young spent most of his youth in Cornwall and South Wales. He graduated from Oxford University, where he studied modern history.
Young spent two years with the Ralli Brothers shipping company in Basra in Iraq before living with the Marsh Arabs of southern Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. He fashioned his experiences into a book, Return to the Marshes (1977). In 1960, from Tunis, he joined The Observer of London as a foreign correspondent, and was the Observer's correspondent in Paris and New York. He had covered fifteen wars and revolutions throughout the world, and worked for The Guardian and was a travel writer. Young died in London on 18 January 2001; he was 72 years old.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 28, 2018
to read this lovely you have to have a passion for Conrad and his stories and novels. it comes out as an interesting and unique travel book and very original - following in the foot steps of conrad.
September 20, 2018
Travel book or literary criticism? This is Gavin Young’s homage to Joseph Conrad. Youngs travels throughout south east Asia are peppered with references to characters from Conrad’s works and the historical personages who inspired them. Lord Jim, Almayers Folly, Freya of the seven isles, An outcast of the islands, The secret sharer...I forget what Conrad I have read over the years, as these novels and stories tend to blend into each other. A knowledge of some Conrad would be helpful and make the book more enjoyable, but it is not essential. Young visits the places that Conrad visited in his sailing travels, Java, Borneo, Celebes, Singapore and Bangkok, tracking down descendants of the people Conrad turned into characters. He visits lots of grave sites, ending up on the other side of the world in Canterbury at Conrad’s own grave. This is a very literary travel book with lots of atmosphere.
January 17, 2013
This book was an immediate favorite for me, because I love the novels of Joseph Conrad.
Gavin Young takes to his sailboat and cruises the Malay Archipelago to visit the places Conrad lived in and wrote about: Jakarta, Borneo and the Celebes in Indonesia, and by cargo-ship from Singapore to Bangkok Young also tracked down the remaining traces of the people who became the inspiration for Conrad's protagonists in his novels, and he found that though the surface has changed, Almayer’s Folly and Lord Jim live on..
This is a very cool book for those who love literature, and the story behind the story.
Gavin Young takes to his sailboat and cruises the Malay Archipelago to visit the places Conrad lived in and wrote about: Jakarta, Borneo and the Celebes in Indonesia, and by cargo-ship from Singapore to Bangkok Young also tracked down the remaining traces of the people who became the inspiration for Conrad's protagonists in his novels, and he found that though the surface has changed, Almayer’s Folly and Lord Jim live on..
This is a very cool book for those who love literature, and the story behind the story.
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September 15, 2009good read
December 11, 2007
Superbly evocative writing by leading travel writer Gavin Young. Long fascinated by the works of Joseph Conrad he uses this book to retrace the journeys Lord Jim travelled fom Bangkok to ingapore and on to Bangka, Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali before heading up through the Celebes and on to Borneo where he was last seen on the Berau River.
A glorious admix of travel writing, history and plain old schoolboy adventure.
An absolute must
A glorious admix of travel writing, history and plain old schoolboy adventure.
An absolute must
June 3, 2008
I remain a fan of Young's solid travel writing. However, never having read anything by Conrad, I couldn't get into the historical footsteps aspect of this book at all; I skimmed through those parts, concentrating on the modern-day encounters.
June 25, 2015
I read much of Conrad's stuff as a schoolboy - he was buried nearby. Gavin Young's book is superb - so evocative it made me re-read Conrad. I recommend both!
April 21, 2015
good is very good
March 28, 2019
I read this book in 1993, shortly after I moved to Singapore from Bangkok (another Conrad city) and re-read it recently after a second spell there. It was a magical excursion into the world of one of my favourite authors - not 'Heart of Darkness' but 'Youth,' if you're interested (the heat in the handful of dust).
Young follows Conrad around SE Asia, places I also know; it is a reminder of how close we remain to the past and yet how far. The old E & O in Penang. The rundown Strand in Rangoon. The quays of Khlong Toei. You can still trace the outlines under the concrete and tarmac; much of the Singapore Young describes in 1990 has largely vanished - the old Batavia Hotel had been saved from redevelopment by being close to Lee Kwan Yew's house - but even today, you walk around a corner and suddenly you're in a different world.
I spent over a decade in Asia and I'm still a traveller; Young's book reminded me to look beneath the surface and is why I have always remembered it.
Young follows Conrad around SE Asia, places I also know; it is a reminder of how close we remain to the past and yet how far. The old E & O in Penang. The rundown Strand in Rangoon. The quays of Khlong Toei. You can still trace the outlines under the concrete and tarmac; much of the Singapore Young describes in 1990 has largely vanished - the old Batavia Hotel had been saved from redevelopment by being close to Lee Kwan Yew's house - but even today, you walk around a corner and suddenly you're in a different world.
I spent over a decade in Asia and I'm still a traveller; Young's book reminded me to look beneath the surface and is why I have always remembered it.
January 31, 2024
Interesting travel writing with Gavin Young following the footsteps of Joseph Conrad. You need to have read the work of Conrad to fully understand why he visits these places and is searching for descendants of people Conrad met. Although I have not yet read a book of Conrad I enjoyed the story.
November 28, 2025
DNF, p. 170. Tedious, saturated with dull detail, which despite the lovely pictures, weighs this down to the sea floor. Other reviewers seem to like it, but I think you need a proximity to Conrad and his books (beyond his biography, which was my starting point) to have any interest in this.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews