What do you think?
Rate this book
Conrad's Eastern World
A book for those interested in Conrad's life and work and/or literary detection convincingly performed. Professor Sherry establishes how well Conrad knew the East and how the original material he garnered there was supplemented from other sources; he also shows what Conrad made of his experiences, thus revealing clearly what the artist's own contribution was.
- GenresBiography
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
18 people want to read
About the author
Norman Sherry
27 books7 followersNorman Sherry was an English novelist, biographer, and educator who was best known for his three-volume biography of the British novelist Graham Greene. He was Professor of English Literature at Lancaster University.
Sherry was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, the younger twin (by eleven minutes) of Alan. Sherry studied at King's College, Newcastle, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955.
He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He also wrote on Joseph Conrad, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Jane Austen. His Life of Graham Greene was praised by David Lodge for being "a remarkable and heroic achievement" that he predicted would prove "the definitive biography of record" of Greene.
From 1983, Sherry held the post of Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Literature at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
He was married three times: first to the children's novelist Sylvia Sherry, then to Carmen Flores (with whom he had a son and a daughter), and finally to Pat Villalon.
Sherry was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, the younger twin (by eleven minutes) of Alan. Sherry studied at King's College, Newcastle, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955.
He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He also wrote on Joseph Conrad, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Jane Austen. His Life of Graham Greene was praised by David Lodge for being "a remarkable and heroic achievement" that he predicted would prove "the definitive biography of record" of Greene.
From 1983, Sherry held the post of Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Literature at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
He was married three times: first to the children's novelist Sylvia Sherry, then to Carmen Flores (with whom he had a son and a daughter), and finally to Pat Villalon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 13, 2018
Review title: Storylines
Joseph Conrad wrote his short stories and novels about a world far away in time and place from most 21st century readers. This little volume of biography and literary criticism explores the sources Conrad used to write of the Eastern part of that world--Singapore, Borneo, the South China Sea.
Polish-born Conrad moved to France and then to England where he became a sailor and worked his way up to ship's captain in his short career. Sherry focuses on about an 18-month period where Conrad encountered experiences--some first-hand, some second-hand through conversations with shipmates, and some he would have read in newspapers and harbor master's and ship's logs--that he combined and reworked into Victory, Lord Jim, the End of the Tether, and other stories. Sherry did his research in obscure collections of old newspapers and shipping logs, and via old fashioned legwork in written communications with descendants of the men and women Conrad encountered and captured in his characters. Along the way he clarifies some autobiographical claims made by Conrad, while contradicting others made by Conrad or his later literary critics.
The largest and most interesting portion of Sherry's research was into the background of Lord Jim, which revolves around the events and aftermath of a "pilgrim ship" crew that abandoned a ship loaded with 900 passengers because the crew thought the ship was sinking. When the ship made port a day after being reported as sunk by the crew, with all passengers safe on board, the crew faced an inquiry and punishment for this violation of one of the ironclad rules of the sea. The novel was based on the real life account of the Jeddah. Sherry includes appendices reprinting the findings of the official inquiry into the Jeddah, letters from some of the participants, and photographs of real characters and places used by Conrad.
This small volume, while published a little over 50 years ago, seems to be a relic of a much older time. The paper cover is sepia toned with a line sketch of a three-masted ship that might have been one of Conrad's assignments. The reproductions of the photographs seem dark and faded, like the book or the original photographs may have spent decades mouldering on a shelf in a humid harbor master's office. The look and feel seem appropriate to the topic, as if the book was a contemporary of Conrad's stories. It provides insight into how Conrad remembered, combined, and fictionalized events from his short sailing career into a much longer literary career. While the insights are interesting, It isn't essential reading for anyone other than dedicated fans of Conrad's life or stories; it would make a good companion to readers of a Conrad biography such as The Several lives of Joseph Conrad.
Joseph Conrad wrote his short stories and novels about a world far away in time and place from most 21st century readers. This little volume of biography and literary criticism explores the sources Conrad used to write of the Eastern part of that world--Singapore, Borneo, the South China Sea.
Polish-born Conrad moved to France and then to England where he became a sailor and worked his way up to ship's captain in his short career. Sherry focuses on about an 18-month period where Conrad encountered experiences--some first-hand, some second-hand through conversations with shipmates, and some he would have read in newspapers and harbor master's and ship's logs--that he combined and reworked into Victory, Lord Jim, the End of the Tether, and other stories. Sherry did his research in obscure collections of old newspapers and shipping logs, and via old fashioned legwork in written communications with descendants of the men and women Conrad encountered and captured in his characters. Along the way he clarifies some autobiographical claims made by Conrad, while contradicting others made by Conrad or his later literary critics.
The largest and most interesting portion of Sherry's research was into the background of Lord Jim, which revolves around the events and aftermath of a "pilgrim ship" crew that abandoned a ship loaded with 900 passengers because the crew thought the ship was sinking. When the ship made port a day after being reported as sunk by the crew, with all passengers safe on board, the crew faced an inquiry and punishment for this violation of one of the ironclad rules of the sea. The novel was based on the real life account of the Jeddah. Sherry includes appendices reprinting the findings of the official inquiry into the Jeddah, letters from some of the participants, and photographs of real characters and places used by Conrad.
This small volume, while published a little over 50 years ago, seems to be a relic of a much older time. The paper cover is sepia toned with a line sketch of a three-masted ship that might have been one of Conrad's assignments. The reproductions of the photographs seem dark and faded, like the book or the original photographs may have spent decades mouldering on a shelf in a humid harbor master's office. The look and feel seem appropriate to the topic, as if the book was a contemporary of Conrad's stories. It provides insight into how Conrad remembered, combined, and fictionalized events from his short sailing career into a much longer literary career. While the insights are interesting, It isn't essential reading for anyone other than dedicated fans of Conrad's life or stories; it would make a good companion to readers of a Conrad biography such as The Several lives of Joseph Conrad.
Displaying 1 of 1 review