Authorial+Background

Author: Joseph Conrad (Dec. 3, 1857-Aug. 3, 1924)

Born in Berdychiv, Ukraine, Conrad was a member of a highly patriotic noble family. His father Apollo was a playwright and a translator. His family was persecuted by the Russian Authorities, and he was orphaned at the age of 11. Conrad live his early life adventurously, participating in political conspiracies and gunrunning before marrying the English Jessie George in 1896. They had two children. Conrad is viewed as one of the greatest English authors of all time. His work combining tragic sensibility and English literature marked him as a precursor of modernist literature. Most of his novels draw upon his experience in the British Merchant Navy.