A Personal Record And the Mirror of the Sea (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics S.) - Softcover

Conrad is a largely enigmatic presence in his novels, but in A PERSONAL RECORD 1908-9 he decided to introduce his readers to 'the figure behind the veil'. Almost equally revealing is THE MIRROR OF THE SEA 1904-6, written in 'tribute to the sea, its ships, and its men, to whom I remain indebted for so much which has gone to make me what I am.' Full of anecdotes and adventures about smuggling arms to Don Carlos, a claimant to the Spanish throne, or characters like the great-uncle who once had to eat a dog; they also let us see from within the young man who broke with his Polish background and was deeply inspired by the resilience of hiS fellow British sailors. Every page is shot through with a powerful moral intelligence and sense of history.

Joseph Conrad, (1857-1924) British novelist of Polish descendants most famously known for his story of vivid exotic colour, 'Heart of Darkness'.