What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lagoon :
By a stagnant lagoon, as his love lies dying, Arsat tells the story of their meeting and the price he had to pay to be with her.``
22 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1897
19 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Conrad
3,087 books4,850 followersJoseph 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
November 19, 2019
A fast-paced and moving tale!
There is a white man Tuan and there is one Malay named Arasat. Both had befriended in the time of trouble and danger. The story is from Indonesian rain forests.
One day Tuan steers the paddle into the stream to pass the night in the Arasat’s clearing, at a place in the forest, into a wide sweep of a stagnant lagoon. Tuan finds a woman stretched on her back under a broadsheet of red cotton. She lay still as if dead, her big eyes wide open, glittered in the gloom.
“Has she been long ill?” asked the white man.
“I have not slept for 5 nights.” Answered Malay.
They sat in silence before the fire and the Arasat in a mournful composure decides to narrate his story and story of his dying lover.
“Therefore I shall speak to you of love. Speak in the night. Speak before both night and love are gone- and the eye of the day looks upon my sorrow and my shame; upon my blackened face; upon my burned heart.”
Arasat tells his story of how he kidnapped his lover Diamelen and fled in a boat. Diamelen worked for King’s wife. His brother helped them run away and fought against the king’s men.
In this tale, the narrator (Arasat) wanted to be with his lover in a country where
“Death is forgotten- where death is unknown!”
But inevitable was something else.
This tale leaves behind a pain of atonement and a thought of futility. This is a short story by Conrad, and it was published in 1897. This is my first story of Conrad and I can get easily that it is a symbolic story. It has a moving narration and there is an immediate outgrowth in the pattern of symbolism.
What bothered me is that the author constantly kept writing “a white man” for Tuan, though he had introduced his name Tuan in the beginning. What may be the reason??? I need to explore. I am yet to read anything from this author. I am an alien to the themes and contexts of his writing so far.
For now, as long as, just this tale is concerned, I can say that I loved and loathed this story simultaneously.
There is a white man Tuan and there is one Malay named Arasat. Both had befriended in the time of trouble and danger. The story is from Indonesian rain forests.
One day Tuan steers the paddle into the stream to pass the night in the Arasat’s clearing, at a place in the forest, into a wide sweep of a stagnant lagoon. Tuan finds a woman stretched on her back under a broadsheet of red cotton. She lay still as if dead, her big eyes wide open, glittered in the gloom.
“Has she been long ill?” asked the white man.
“I have not slept for 5 nights.” Answered Malay.
They sat in silence before the fire and the Arasat in a mournful composure decides to narrate his story and story of his dying lover.
“Therefore I shall speak to you of love. Speak in the night. Speak before both night and love are gone- and the eye of the day looks upon my sorrow and my shame; upon my blackened face; upon my burned heart.”
Arasat tells his story of how he kidnapped his lover Diamelen and fled in a boat. Diamelen worked for King’s wife. His brother helped them run away and fought against the king’s men.
In this tale, the narrator (Arasat) wanted to be with his lover in a country where
“Death is forgotten- where death is unknown!”
But inevitable was something else.
This tale leaves behind a pain of atonement and a thought of futility. This is a short story by Conrad, and it was published in 1897. This is my first story of Conrad and I can get easily that it is a symbolic story. It has a moving narration and there is an immediate outgrowth in the pattern of symbolism.
What bothered me is that the author constantly kept writing “a white man” for Tuan, though he had introduced his name Tuan in the beginning. What may be the reason??? I need to explore. I am yet to read anything from this author. I am an alien to the themes and contexts of his writing so far.
For now, as long as, just this tale is concerned, I can say that I loved and loathed this story simultaneously.
June 20, 2025
- Libro acquistato a Aprile 2025 -
Nella cornice esotica di luoghi misteriosi e lontani dalla civiltà occidentale come le coste e le isole degli arcipelaghi dell’estremo oriente, Joseph Conrad riesce a coniugare in un racconto avventura, sentimenti e introspezione psicologica dando spessore e qualità inimitabili a storie quotidiane.
Durante la navigazione su un fiume della Malesia, un uomo bianco, al sopraggiungere dell'oscurità, ordina ai rematori della sua imbarcazione di dirigersi verso una insenatura all'interno della quale in una piccola abitazione troverà rifugio per la notte perché lì dimora con la sua donna Diamelen, il malese Arsat, amico e compagno coraggioso di antiche, indimenticabili battaglie: e mentre Diamelen colpita da febbre maligna lotta per sopravvivere, Arsat, resosi conto della caducità della vita, nella notte che scorre silenziosa, racconta una storia di amore e di morte, di coraggio e di viltà, e in presenza del suo amico "bianco" pronuncia un giuramento di riscatto morale che possa finalmente dare pace alla sua inquieta coscienza.
Anche in quest’opera Joseph Conrad in poche pagine imbastisce una storia che intriga e appassiona in cui sentimenti mai del tutto dimenticati tornano a torturare un'anima divisa.
Nella cornice esotica di luoghi misteriosi e lontani dalla civiltà occidentale come le coste e le isole degli arcipelaghi dell’estremo oriente, Joseph Conrad riesce a coniugare in un racconto avventura, sentimenti e introspezione psicologica dando spessore e qualità inimitabili a storie quotidiane.
Durante la navigazione su un fiume della Malesia, un uomo bianco, al sopraggiungere dell'oscurità, ordina ai rematori della sua imbarcazione di dirigersi verso una insenatura all'interno della quale in una piccola abitazione troverà rifugio per la notte perché lì dimora con la sua donna Diamelen, il malese Arsat, amico e compagno coraggioso di antiche, indimenticabili battaglie: e mentre Diamelen colpita da febbre maligna lotta per sopravvivere, Arsat, resosi conto della caducità della vita, nella notte che scorre silenziosa, racconta una storia di amore e di morte, di coraggio e di viltà, e in presenza del suo amico "bianco" pronuncia un giuramento di riscatto morale che possa finalmente dare pace alla sua inquieta coscienza.
Anche in quest’opera Joseph Conrad in poche pagine imbastisce una storia che intriga e appassiona in cui sentimenti mai del tutto dimenticati tornano a torturare un'anima divisa.
January 31, 2018
The Lagoon opens up with a white man, but the story is really about the man's Malaysian friend Arsat. Framed narrative, quite common in Conrad's works, works quite well in this one. Tuan (the white man) serves the same function as Marlow the narrator in Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim. It may seem an unnecessary complication in a short story, but framed narrative actually helps to
set a tone and atmosphere as well as to provide additional commentary.
Tuan visits his old friend Arsat, only to find out that Arsat's beloved wife is dying. Arsat then tells Tuan the tragic history of their love. The story itself is very powerful, yet the conversation between the two men gives it additional meaning. It is a conversation that can offer no comfort- perhaps precisely because of it, the dialogue between them feels honest and raw.
What can one person say to another after such a tale of betrayal and sadness? What would you say if you were Tuan? What would you do if you were Arsat? This is where the framed narrative really makes sense, as it makes the reader ponder the harshness of life, and gives the reader a chance to reflect on the horrible choices we are all sometimes forced to make. I won't reveal anything else to avoid spoilers, still it is certainty a powerful story driven by a serious moral dilemma.
This short story is the shortest work by this author that I read, but it is, nevertheless, poignant with tragedy and symbolism. It is written as beautifully as Conrad's best works, yet what particularly fascinated me is the perfect of its form. It is one of the most perfect short stories I have ever read- this is how it is done. It is amazing how much can be conveyed with so few words.
Truth be told as a fan of Conrad's writing, I may be more inclined (even motivated?) to read more into it. Nevertheless, even after mentally forcing myself to make some time to observe it without connecting it to other Conrad's other works, I have found it to be pretty amazing and rich in meaning. Perhaps those who love Conrad's prose will enjoy it more, but even those unfamiliar with this author might like it. I've only read it recently, but I've already reread it a few times, tonight being the last time. What does that tell you about it?
This is a very moving short story, filled with sadness, but balanced out with beauty. I have a feeling that The Lagoon will haunt me. A few short stories have impressed me as much as this one. I would go as far as to suggest that The Lagoon is a masterpiece of the short story form.
set a tone and atmosphere as well as to provide additional commentary.
Tuan visits his old friend Arsat, only to find out that Arsat's beloved wife is dying. Arsat then tells Tuan the tragic history of their love. The story itself is very powerful, yet the conversation between the two men gives it additional meaning. It is a conversation that can offer no comfort- perhaps precisely because of it, the dialogue between them feels honest and raw.
What can one person say to another after such a tale of betrayal and sadness? What would you say if you were Tuan? What would you do if you were Arsat? This is where the framed narrative really makes sense, as it makes the reader ponder the harshness of life, and gives the reader a chance to reflect on the horrible choices we are all sometimes forced to make. I won't reveal anything else to avoid spoilers, still it is certainty a powerful story driven by a serious moral dilemma.
This short story is the shortest work by this author that I read, but it is, nevertheless, poignant with tragedy and symbolism. It is written as beautifully as Conrad's best works, yet what particularly fascinated me is the perfect of its form. It is one of the most perfect short stories I have ever read- this is how it is done. It is amazing how much can be conveyed with so few words.
Truth be told as a fan of Conrad's writing, I may be more inclined (even motivated?) to read more into it. Nevertheless, even after mentally forcing myself to make some time to observe it without connecting it to other Conrad's other works, I have found it to be pretty amazing and rich in meaning. Perhaps those who love Conrad's prose will enjoy it more, but even those unfamiliar with this author might like it. I've only read it recently, but I've already reread it a few times, tonight being the last time. What does that tell you about it?
This is a very moving short story, filled with sadness, but balanced out with beauty. I have a feeling that The Lagoon will haunt me. A few short stories have impressed me as much as this one. I would go as far as to suggest that The Lagoon is a masterpiece of the short story form.
May 26, 2024
Collection of 3 short stories, with a nautical theme running through them. The best was the final one, The Secret Searcher, a metaphor for a captain's struggle to comento grips with his own failures.
February 16, 2010
An interesting tale by Conrad. Its the story about a white man travelling through an Indonesian rainforest who stops for the night with a distant Malay friend named Arsat, who's lover is dying. Arsat then tells the white man the story of his past...
March 19, 2017
Know Your Brother? Know Yourself!
These words should be taken seriously by anyone who longs to be a good writer because there is vast potential for tragedy in them – and the greatest of all Russian writers has, in his day and age, shown how to use the potential to the max. However, Joseph Conrad’s short story The Lagoon exploits another source of tragedy, even though the protagonist of the story, a Malay called Arsat, uses the above words to introduce the tale of his love and his betrayal, which he is going to tell once he finds himself on the brink of being bereft of the woman for whose sake he took a glimpse into the depths of his soul. One can say that it is not the knowledge of his brother but his deplorable lack of knowledge of himself that plunges him into tragedy and fills even the cup of his love with many a drop of bitterness.
The story in a nutshell: An unnamed white man, travelling along a river, decides to spend the night in a lagoon, where his Malay friend Arsat lives in an old house, together with his beloved woman, Diamelen. The place has a reputation for being haunted, or ill-omened, and when the white man arrives, he finds Arsat in utter despair over a fever that is wasting his beloved woman away. As recovery seems impossible, Arsat tells his friend the story of his love, and it is basically this: When Arsat falls in love with Diamelen, he sees no way towards living his love but elopement since Diamelen is promised to someone else. His brother, more valiant and more doughty than he, promises to help him because he regards himself and his brother as men who simply take what they want. Soon, however, their plan is discovered, and the two brothers and Diamelen are pursued by the men of their tribe. Arsat’s brother tries to win them some time in order for his brother to prepare a canoe for them, by fighting their chasers in order to join his group and to complete their flight together. Unfortunately, Arsat sees how his brother trips and is overtaken by their enemies, and instead of helping him, who desperately calls out his name, he gets himself and Diamelen in safety by casting off the boat before he even realizes what he is doing. Never being able to forget how he left his brother to die, he withdraws, with his woman, to the lagoon, where everything is stillness – and where darkness and fog creep in on them as he tells his story, while Diamelen is dying from her fever. When she is dead, the white man offers Arsat to take him with them but the hapless Malay refuses, saying that now he will seek out his enemies in an attempt to atone for his former betrayal of his brother.
As is usual with Joseph Conrad, this impressive little story – it’s probably one of his shortest short stories, and does honour to the model of the perfect short story as conceived by Poe – overwhelms the reader with colourful, image-laden language, and had therefore best be read aloud. The beginning, which gives an impression on the unnamed white man’s journey along the river, already conjures up the mood and atmosphere of Conrad’s masterpiece Heart of Darkness, when we get sentences like
In sentences like these, there are dark whisperings of the great indifference of nature, of the universe, towards the individual sufferings and joys of man. The stillness, pervading the scenery, and the darkness surrounding the men can also be seen as symbols of Arsat’s feeling that he lost his honour when he deserted his brother and decided to hide with Diamelen in that death-like lagoon. In a way, Arsat’s situation also foreshadows the inner conflict Conrad’s eponymous hero suffers from in his later novel Lord Jim. In both Arsat’s and Jim’s cases, a man is surprised to find himself react, in the face of danger, in a way that is completely different from what he would have supposed, and so, in both cases, their tragedy is rooted in their ignorance about themselves.
In the end, we leave Arsat like this:
… and we can only surmise whether he will muster up his courage to return and face those men who killed his brother, wondering all the while whether doing so will really prove the best choice for him.
”There’s no worse enemy and no better friend than a brother, […] for one brother knows another, and in perfect knowledge is strength for good or evil.”
These words should be taken seriously by anyone who longs to be a good writer because there is vast potential for tragedy in them – and the greatest of all Russian writers has, in his day and age, shown how to use the potential to the max. However, Joseph Conrad’s short story The Lagoon exploits another source of tragedy, even though the protagonist of the story, a Malay called Arsat, uses the above words to introduce the tale of his love and his betrayal, which he is going to tell once he finds himself on the brink of being bereft of the woman for whose sake he took a glimpse into the depths of his soul. One can say that it is not the knowledge of his brother but his deplorable lack of knowledge of himself that plunges him into tragedy and fills even the cup of his love with many a drop of bitterness.
The story in a nutshell: An unnamed white man, travelling along a river, decides to spend the night in a lagoon, where his Malay friend Arsat lives in an old house, together with his beloved woman, Diamelen. The place has a reputation for being haunted, or ill-omened, and when the white man arrives, he finds Arsat in utter despair over a fever that is wasting his beloved woman away. As recovery seems impossible, Arsat tells his friend the story of his love, and it is basically this: When Arsat falls in love with Diamelen, he sees no way towards living his love but elopement since Diamelen is promised to someone else. His brother, more valiant and more doughty than he, promises to help him because he regards himself and his brother as men who simply take what they want. Soon, however, their plan is discovered, and the two brothers and Diamelen are pursued by the men of their tribe. Arsat’s brother tries to win them some time in order for his brother to prepare a canoe for them, by fighting their chasers in order to join his group and to complete their flight together. Unfortunately, Arsat sees how his brother trips and is overtaken by their enemies, and instead of helping him, who desperately calls out his name, he gets himself and Diamelen in safety by casting off the boat before he even realizes what he is doing. Never being able to forget how he left his brother to die, he withdraws, with his woman, to the lagoon, where everything is stillness – and where darkness and fog creep in on them as he tells his story, while Diamelen is dying from her fever. When she is dead, the white man offers Arsat to take him with them but the hapless Malay refuses, saying that now he will seek out his enemies in an attempt to atone for his former betrayal of his brother.
As is usual with Joseph Conrad, this impressive little story – it’s probably one of his shortest short stories, and does honour to the model of the perfect short story as conceived by Poe – overwhelms the reader with colourful, image-laden language, and had therefore best be read aloud. The beginning, which gives an impression on the unnamed white man’s journey along the river, already conjures up the mood and atmosphere of Conrad’s masterpiece Heart of Darkness, when we get sentences like
” And the white man’s canoe, advancing upstream in the shortlived disturbance of its own making, seemed to enter the portals of a land from which the very memory of motion had forever departed.”
In sentences like these, there are dark whisperings of the great indifference of nature, of the universe, towards the individual sufferings and joys of man. The stillness, pervading the scenery, and the darkness surrounding the men can also be seen as symbols of Arsat’s feeling that he lost his honour when he deserted his brother and decided to hide with Diamelen in that death-like lagoon. In a way, Arsat’s situation also foreshadows the inner conflict Conrad’s eponymous hero suffers from in his later novel Lord Jim. In both Arsat’s and Jim’s cases, a man is surprised to find himself react, in the face of danger, in a way that is completely different from what he would have supposed, and so, in both cases, their tragedy is rooted in their ignorance about themselves.
In the end, we leave Arsat like this:
”Arsat had not moved. He stood lonely in the searching sunshine; and he looked beyond the great light of a cloudless day into the darkness of a world of illusions.”
… and we can only surmise whether he will muster up his courage to return and face those men who killed his brother, wondering all the while whether doing so will really prove the best choice for him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2025
None of the book covers on offer here do the actual story justice. There is no sailing ship, but a narrow vessel propelled upriver by oars and poles. The lagoon is not idyllic, but is described as stagnant and accessed through a deep ditch. The atmosphere is ominous and claustrophobic. The native men rowing the boat do not want to stop at the lagoon, and prefer to sleep and eat on the boat rather than step ashore.
The description of the river and the jungle are masterful and moody, and this setting adds heft to the story. It is a sad story, foreshadowed by the superstition of the boatmen. The "white man" does not believe in native superstitions, so naturally he walks right into the midst of everything he does not really understand.
A very short tale from Conrad that punches above its weight.
The description of the river and the jungle are masterful and moody, and this setting adds heft to the story. It is a sad story, foreshadowed by the superstition of the boatmen. The "white man" does not believe in native superstitions, so naturally he walks right into the midst of everything he does not really understand.
A very short tale from Conrad that punches above its weight.
March 21, 2021
Puanım 4/5 (%78/100)
Okuması oldukça zevkli ve kolay bir kitaptı. İçerisinde Lagün ve Il Conde adlı iki kısa öykü var. Aslında çok farklı şeylerden bahediyor olsalar da iki hikaye de birbirine benziyor. İkisinde de anlatıcının ismi yok, ikisinde de trajedi ve hüzün temaları var, tonları benzer, ve ikisi hayattan kesit gibi. İki hikaye arasından Lagün'ü daha çok beğendim bu da Arsat karakteri sayesinde diyebilirim.
Lagün
Ana karakteri sadece Beyaz Adam olarak bilinen bir adam Arsat adında bir Malezyalı adamı ziyaret ediyor. Arsat'ın karısı ölmek üzere ve Beyaz Adam'a abisi ve karısını içeren geçmişini anlatıyor. Tam hayattan bir kesit gibi olan bir hikayeydi ve çok hoşuma gitti, özellikle de sonu. Betimlemeler de çok güzeldi.
Il Conde
Il Conte aslında Kont demek fakat Conrad yanlış yapmasına rağmen Conde olarak bırakmış. İsimsiz bir anlatıcının 1900lerin Napoli'sinde Kont adlı bir centilmen ile arkadaşlığını anlatıyor. Bu yönden ilk hikaye gibi yine hayattan bir kesit diyebiliriz. Bu hikayenin de sonu harikaydı.
Kısaca iki hikayeyi de beğendim. Belki çok şey olmuyor ama karakterler ilgi çekici ve en önemlisi Conrad'ın işlediği temalar, dili, ve tonu çok ön planda. Ayrıca kısa bir kitap olduğu için tek oturuşta bile bitirilebilir.
Okuması oldukça zevkli ve kolay bir kitaptı. İçerisinde Lagün ve Il Conde adlı iki kısa öykü var. Aslında çok farklı şeylerden bahediyor olsalar da iki hikaye de birbirine benziyor. İkisinde de anlatıcının ismi yok, ikisinde de trajedi ve hüzün temaları var, tonları benzer, ve ikisi hayattan kesit gibi. İki hikaye arasından Lagün'ü daha çok beğendim bu da Arsat karakteri sayesinde diyebilirim.
Lagün
Ana karakteri sadece Beyaz Adam olarak bilinen bir adam Arsat adında bir Malezyalı adamı ziyaret ediyor. Arsat'ın karısı ölmek üzere ve Beyaz Adam'a abisi ve karısını içeren geçmişini anlatıyor. Tam hayattan bir kesit gibi olan bir hikayeydi ve çok hoşuma gitti, özellikle de sonu. Betimlemeler de çok güzeldi.
Il Conde
Il Conte aslında Kont demek fakat Conrad yanlış yapmasına rağmen Conde olarak bırakmış. İsimsiz bir anlatıcının 1900lerin Napoli'sinde Kont adlı bir centilmen ile arkadaşlığını anlatıyor. Bu yönden ilk hikaye gibi yine hayattan bir kesit diyebiliriz. Bu hikayenin de sonu harikaydı.
Kısaca iki hikayeyi de beğendim. Belki çok şey olmuyor ama karakterler ilgi çekici ve en önemlisi Conrad'ın işlediği temalar, dili, ve tonu çok ön planda. Ayrıca kısa bir kitap olduğu için tek oturuşta bile bitirilebilir.
April 7, 2024
A superb, slender collection of three of Conrad's most memorable, haunting, suspenseful and even beautiful sea stories. These reveal the often-ignored fact that some of Conrad's greatest, most sensational fiction was his short-fiction of stories and novellas, instead of his rambling, long novels such as "Lord Jim" and "The Secret Agent". The center piece of the collection, however, is the extraordinary "Typhoon" - a novella that is a rousing story of heroism and peril as well as a meditative reflection on just what heroism means, shorn of all graces and airs.
March 22, 2020
Really good short story. I thought it was better than Heart of Darkness.
For anyone interested, it can be found here -
http://www.maritimetraining.in/docume...
For anyone interested, it can be found here -
http://www.maritimetraining.in/docume...
January 3, 2020
Tutto si consuma in una notte. La laguna inghiotte nelle sue acque la storia di più vite e ce la restituisce ammantata di una caligine che è ricordo, paura, tristezza, dispiacere, dolore, fierezza. E’ fiero Arsat quando prende con sé la donna che ama e fugge insieme al fratello contro la furia del suo sovrano. E’ triste Arsat quando deve abbandonare il fratello contro i nemici per salvare la sua donna. Lui ama suo fratello. E sa che il suo destino, una volta solo, sarà segnato. Prova dolore adesso, in una notte buia mentre racconta al suo amico bianco Tuan come la sua donna stia morendo dentro la capanna, come il loro destino sia segnato.
“ Tuan morirà?”
L’uomo bianco mosse le spalle a disagio e mormorò esitante: “ Se tale è il suo destino”. “ No, Tuan – disse Arsat, calmo – Se tale è il mio destino. Io sento, vedo, aspetto, ricordo…”
Un racconto breve ma di rara bellezza. Potente ma delicato.
“ Dove possiamo deporre il peso della nostra sofferenza, se non nel cuore di un amico?”
“ Tuan morirà?”
L’uomo bianco mosse le spalle a disagio e mormorò esitante: “ Se tale è il suo destino”. “ No, Tuan – disse Arsat, calmo – Se tale è il mio destino. Io sento, vedo, aspetto, ricordo…”
Un racconto breve ma di rara bellezza. Potente ma delicato.
“ Dove possiamo deporre il peso della nostra sofferenza, se non nel cuore di un amico?”
July 16, 2024
Contains the stories:
The Lagoon
The Typhoon
The Secret Sharer
—————————
Quote:
In the stillness of the air every tree, every leaf, every bough, every tendril of creeper and every petal of minute blossoms seemed to have been bewitched into an immobility perfect and final.
~ The Lagoon
The Lagoon
The Typhoon
The Secret Sharer
—————————
Quote:
In the stillness of the air every tree, every leaf, every bough, every tendril of creeper and every petal of minute blossoms seemed to have been bewitched into an immobility perfect and final.
~ The Lagoon
April 26, 2020
This short story I consider Conrad's masterpiece. I've probably read it at least five times, and shall reread it again for its beauty of mood, style, setting, and poignant story line. Haunting. Lyrical. Chilling. Beautiful. So much emotion packed into such a short love story.
It begins with the white man Tuan telling his Malay steersman "We will pass the night in Arsat's clearing. It is late." Then within a short time, with Arsat's woman Diamelen dreadfully ill, Arsat begins to tell how they came to be in this raised house on the remote hidden lagoon. ". . . for where can we lay down the heaviness of our trouble but in a friend's heart? A man must speak of war and of love. You, Tuan, know what war is, and you have seen me in time of danger seek death as other men seek life! A writing may be lost; a lie may be written; but what the eye has seen is truth and remains in the mind!... There's no worse enemy and no better friend than a brother, Tuan, for one brother knows another, and in perfect knowledge is strength for good or evil."
The tragedy slowly unfolds, dramatically, in beautiful writing, and the story ends before dawn. Diamelen dies during the night. The white man offers to wait and take Arsat away from this lagoon and place of her death - but no, Arsat replies "We are sons of the same mother--and I left him in the midst of enemies; but I am going back now." Conrad ends the story as Arsat "looked beyond the great light of a cloudless day into the darkness of a world of illusions."
About 1990 I was asked by the Allen Press (Saul and Lillian Marks' superior private hand hand press in Los Angeles) to recommend a Conrad story that it should consider printing in a fine limited edition. This short story was my recommendation. I believe they did in fact design and may have printed the story, though I've not seen or held a copy in hand.
It begins with the white man Tuan telling his Malay steersman "We will pass the night in Arsat's clearing. It is late." Then within a short time, with Arsat's woman Diamelen dreadfully ill, Arsat begins to tell how they came to be in this raised house on the remote hidden lagoon. ". . . for where can we lay down the heaviness of our trouble but in a friend's heart? A man must speak of war and of love. You, Tuan, know what war is, and you have seen me in time of danger seek death as other men seek life! A writing may be lost; a lie may be written; but what the eye has seen is truth and remains in the mind!... There's no worse enemy and no better friend than a brother, Tuan, for one brother knows another, and in perfect knowledge is strength for good or evil."
The tragedy slowly unfolds, dramatically, in beautiful writing, and the story ends before dawn. Diamelen dies during the night. The white man offers to wait and take Arsat away from this lagoon and place of her death - but no, Arsat replies "We are sons of the same mother--and I left him in the midst of enemies; but I am going back now." Conrad ends the story as Arsat "looked beyond the great light of a cloudless day into the darkness of a world of illusions."
About 1990 I was asked by the Allen Press (Saul and Lillian Marks' superior private hand hand press in Los Angeles) to recommend a Conrad story that it should consider printing in a fine limited edition. This short story was my recommendation. I believe they did in fact design and may have printed the story, though I've not seen or held a copy in hand.
August 14, 2018
Read this for my literature class. It's a deep story, a story within a story. It portrays death, betrayal. I love the symbolism that it has.
Read
January 9, 20241402/10/19
2023/1/9
داستان صوتی
2023/1/9
داستان صوتی
February 2, 2024
Several short stories of which the writing style manages to absorb you in a poetic way. This is what Poe strove to, but couldn't achieve due to the shortcomings of his time.
I've never felt that a word was too much. This is a great introduction to Conrad's more important works, as I see it.
I've never felt that a word was too much. This is a great introduction to Conrad's more important works, as I see it.
October 16, 2016
12/100 Glimpse of Truth Short Stories
Adjective-heavy (e.g. "The fear and fascination, the inspiration and the wonder of death - of death near, unavoidable and unseen, soothed the unease of his race and stirred the most indistinct, the most intimate of his thoughts. The ever ready suspicion of evil, the gnawing suspicion that lurks in our hearts, flowed out of the stillness round him - into the stillness profound and dumb, and made it appear untrustworthy and infamous, like the placid and impenetrable mask of an unjustifiable violence.") but still an engrossing fireside tale.
Once you stop counting the number of descriptive words per sentence and allow the writing to carry you along you find yourself able to smell the smoke of the fire and feel the heat of the languid oppressive night.
Adjective-heavy (e.g. "The fear and fascination, the inspiration and the wonder of death - of death near, unavoidable and unseen, soothed the unease of his race and stirred the most indistinct, the most intimate of his thoughts. The ever ready suspicion of evil, the gnawing suspicion that lurks in our hearts, flowed out of the stillness round him - into the stillness profound and dumb, and made it appear untrustworthy and infamous, like the placid and impenetrable mask of an unjustifiable violence.") but still an engrossing fireside tale.
Once you stop counting the number of descriptive words per sentence and allow the writing to carry you along you find yourself able to smell the smoke of the fire and feel the heat of the languid oppressive night.
March 18, 2013
Haunting. Lyrical. Chilling. Beautiful.
So much emotion packed into such a short story.
So much emotion packed into such a short story.
June 5, 2013
Beautiful sad tragic tale of what one will do for love. Full of symbolism and imagery well worth a read.
October 6, 2015
Conrad's combination of words mesmerized me...involved my feeling to the extent i cried some tears while reading!
I totally appreciate this work...
I totally appreciate this work...
May 4, 2017
This is some of the best writing I have ever come across. Excellent foray into Conrad.
June 24, 2024
I love Conrad's jungles. I think, similar to Heart of Darkness, I liked his use of language more than the plot. I especially enjoyed dreamlike stagnation of Arsat's lagoon.
"The land and the water slept invisible, unstirring and mute. It was as though there had been nothing left in the world but the glitter of stars streaming, ceaseless and vain, through the black stillness of the night."
I would have liked to know more about the previous relationship between Arsat and the white man.
"The land and the water slept invisible, unstirring and mute. It was as though there had been nothing left in the world but the glitter of stars streaming, ceaseless and vain, through the black stillness of the night."
I would have liked to know more about the previous relationship between Arsat and the white man.
June 22, 2020
Leggermente meglio di Cuore di tenebra ma ho avuto la conferma che il tipo di narrazione di Conrad non fa per me. Gli ho dato comunque due stelline (che per goodreads è già positivo :/) e come voto 6 perchè tutto sommato la narrazione è dinamica e avvincente ma c'è qualcosa che mi infastidisce. Peccato.
January 27, 2022
İki kısa hikayeden oluşan, çabucak okunan akıcı bir eser.
October 12, 2024
so not fan of conrad’s lyrical descriptions
February 14, 2025
Most interesting thing is the amount pf times they say poop in this book
December 3, 2018
I just couldn’t keep my mind on this one.
February 10, 2024
"Yazılan bir şey kaybolabilir; bir yalanı yazabilirsin; ama gözün gördüğü gerçektir ve zihinde kalır. "
Sf. 17
Sf. 17
Read
December 12, 2018This story was slightly confusing in some aspects. The story also switches from first person to third person. I disliked when Arstat left his brother to save his "wife". The setting was very descriptive as well.
September 1, 2023
I am not a massive fan of short stories, you don’t get the opportunity to immerse yourself in the story over a long period. However I would encourage anyone to ready this collection.
The three stories within are all unique and bound only really with their colonial basis and stuffy 19th century English style.
But the narratives are focused, the descriptions are vivid and the characters interesting and engaging.
Was probably a 4.5 but rounded up as I would definitely recommend this to anyone
The three stories within are all unique and bound only really with their colonial basis and stuffy 19th century English style.
But the narratives are focused, the descriptions are vivid and the characters interesting and engaging.
Was probably a 4.5 but rounded up as I would definitely recommend this to anyone
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews