Birthdate: 3rd December 1857
Nationality: Polish / British
Bio:
Joseph Conrad was a renowned Polish-British writer born in 1857 in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He is considered one of the greatest novelists in English, though it was not his first language. Conrad grew up in Ukraine and Belarus and was exposed to Polish patriotic ideals from a young age. He left Poland at age 16 to go to sea and became a British citizen in 1886 after a 20-year career sailing on British merchant ships to destinations around the world. His extensive travels and experiences in the merchant navy provided rich material and perspective that influenced his later works.
After retiring from the sea, Conrad began writing fiction in English and quickly achieved both commercial and critical success. His most famous works include Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Nostromo, and The Secret Agent. Recurring themes in his novels involve the effects of political and social corruption on the individual. They also often depict the dark side of colonialism and the complex moral dilemmas of the period. Conrad was a masterful prose stylist who brought a journalist-like attention to detail to his narratives. He is credited with bringing a new psychological and political depth to the English novel.
To this day, Joseph Conrad remains widely regarded as one of the great modernist writers. His works are studied for their complex exploration of themes like imperialism, moral ambiguity, and human nature.