Joseph Conrad

by Robert Hampson

Joseph Conrad is widely recognized as one of the greatest writers of the early twentieth century. Robert Hampson traces Conrad’s life from his childhood in a Russian penal colony, through his early manhood in Marseille and his years in the British Merchant Navy, to his career as a novelist. This critical biography describes how these experiences inspired Conrad’s work, from his early Malay novels to his best-known work, Heart of Darkness . Hampson also discusses Conrad’s important relations with other writers, in particular Ford Madox Ford, as well as his late-life political engagements and his relationships with women. Featuring new interpretations of all of Conrad’s major works, this is an original interpretation of Conrad’s life of writing.

Genres: Biography

224 pages, Paperback

Published January 18, 2021

Reviews

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed accounting of Conrad’s personal life and details his keen sense of marketing which made him more successful than other writers. He went beyond writing just for general public and built deep meaning into his stories about the meaning of life and the impact war has on men’s minds.

[Jana Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic short critical biography of Joseph Conrad by the eminent scholar Robert Hampson. So cogent, lucid and comprehensive, pleasure to read, engrossing and a guide to any perplexed. Places the author in his global historical as well as personal context. I cannot recommend this highly enough. A superlative achievement!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not riveting, but I'm glad I read it.

[Ayşe Zeliha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a short but precisely detailed and informative biography of Joseph Conrad.