Surprising insight into psychology

English novelist, shortstory writer, dreamer and adventurer Joseph Conrad was born in Berdichev, Ukraine in 1857. In the mid 1870s he joined the French Merchant Marine Shipping Company as an apprentice, and made three voyages to the West Indies between 1875 and 1878.

Although Conrad is mostly known as a novelist, he tried his hand at writing plays. His first one-act drama was not successful and was rejected by the audience. But after finishing the text he learned the existence of the Censor of the Plays, which inspired his satirical essay about an obscure civil servant.His first novel, Almayer’s folly was about a derelict Dutchman, who traded on the jungle rivers of Borneo. It was followed by An Outcast of the Islands (1896). The Nigger of the ‘Narcissus’ was a complex story of a storm off the Cape of Good Hope and of an enigmatic black sailor. Lord Jim, narrated by Charlie Marlow, told about the fall of a young sailor and his redemption.

Conrad’s work explores the vulnerability and moral instability at the heart of human lives. Conrad is best known for his classic story, Heart of Darkness, in which an European sailor discovers that the heart of darkness is not Africa, but within the human soul, and perhaps also linked to European imperialism. Conrad’s other acclaimed works include Nostromo, The Secret Agent, Under Western Eyes, and The Secret Sharer . Overall he wrote 13 novels, two volumes of memoirs, and 28 short stories.

Conrad’s favourite themes include the impact of isolation on an individual, the codes of morality that people design for themselves, the moral ambiguities of human existence, and the attempt to be loyal to an idea or an ideal. In most of his novels Conrad portrayed European men in situations far removed from their usual society and customs. Thus isolated, his characters are brought into conflict with nature and with the forces of good and the evil within themselves.Conrad is noted not only for his stories of life at sea, his insights into human psychology, and his literary style, but also for his depiction of imperialism and racial issues. Conrad writes in a rich, vivid prose style with a narrative technique that makes skilful use of breaks in linear chronology. His character development is powerful and compelling, but his outlook is generally bleak.

Last years of his life were shadowed by rheumatism. He refused an offer of knighthood in 1924 as he had earlier declined honorary degrees from five universities. Conrad died of a heart attack on August 3, 1924 and was buried in Canterbury.

Compiled by Ishara Mudugamuwa

ishara@sundayobserver