Joseph Conrad
A Life
Zdzislaw Najder
Joseph Conrad is not only one of the world's great writers of English -- and world -- literature, but was a writer who lived a particularly full and interesting life. For the biographer this is a double-edged sword, however: there are many periods for which documentation is uncommonly difficult. Zdzislaw Najder's meticulously documented biography first appeared in English in 1983, garnering high praise as the best, most complete biography of Conrad. Najder's command of English, French, Polish, and Russian allowed him access to a greater variety of sources than any other biographer, and his Polish background and his own experience as an exile have afforded him a unique affinity for Conrad and his milieu. All this has come into play once again in the present, extensively revised edition: much of its extensive new material was unearthed in newly-opened former east-bloc archives. There is new material on Conrad's father's genealogy and his role in Polish politics; Conrad's service in the French and British merchant marines; his early English reading and correspondence; his experiences in the Congo; the circumstances of writing his memoirs, and much more. In addition, several aspects of Conrad's life and works are more thoroughly analyzed: his problems with the English language; his borrowings from French writers; his attitude toward socialism, his reaction to the reception of his books.
Zdzislaw Najder teaches at the European Academy, Cracow.
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DETAILS
64 b/w illustrations
4 line illustrations
832 pages
Size: 9.25 x 6.13 in
10 digit ISBN: 157113347X
13 digit ISBN: 9781571133472
Binding: Hardback
First published: 02/Apr/2007
Last printed: 15/Oct/2007
Price: 60.00 USD / 30.00 GBP
Imprint: Camden House
BIC class: AVH
STATUS: Available
Details updated on 02/09/2008
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Reviews
[A] great achievement in revealing to us with honesty and compassion a writer of immense moral stature and untiring devotion to his art. POLISH REVIEW
That Conrad's beliefs are so much bigger than his doubts may account for the relatively small number of biographies since 1960. The best is still Zdzislaw Najder's [work.] WEEKLY STANDARD
The revisions to Zdzislaw Najder's Joseph Conrad further strengthen what was already the indispensable biography. They are extensive and substantial, incorporating not only Najder's own discoveries but those by such distinguished scholars as Andrew Busza, J. H. Stape, the late Sylvère Monod, and the late Hans van Marle.--Laurence Davies, University of Glasgow, General Editor of Conrad's Collected Letters
A heroic achievement. THE INDEPENDENT
[A] portrait of a remarkable human in his native milieu and the story of how he adapted to a very different environment. Nader's Conrad is a man of deep emotions under a mask of circumspection. [Builds] up a detailed portrait of Conrad using every scrap of available information. LITERARY REVIEW
This hefty book is a pleasure to read. This present edition is a fifth revision and the second published in English. [The author provides] material formerly unavailable. POLISH AMERICAN JOURNAL
When I reviewed the first English edition of this book in 1984, I called it "the richest and most persuasive portrait of Conrad we have had or will probably ever have." Happily, however, the author hasn't rested on his laurels. Once again, Professor Najder sets the very highest biographical standard. Everything that has come to light about Conrad during the past quarter-century is now seamlessly integrated into the revised text. Many facts are new, but Najder's perspective remains unchanged -- because, quite simply, he got it exactly right the first time. -- Frederick Crews
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